Remembrance
by Shikaku Zetsumei
Summary: What would you do if you were told that everything you've experienced never happened? How would this change views of the future? Vinti. (Older story, so minimal references to CC, DoC, AC, etc.) Chapter 11 posted.
1. Author's Note

Author's Note (This is probably from 2008 or 2009):

Hello, Shikaku Zetsumei here. It's been a while since I wrote on a consistent basis. I spent the last two years working on making my writing clearer and less rushed. For this story, Chapters One through Eight are from a much earlier time, while Chapter Nine and onward reflects my current writing style. Hopefully there have been some noticeable changes for the better. I plan on finishing this story in my spare time seeing as I have a tentative ending I'm heading towards.

Other than that, enjoy the story.

Shikaku Zetsumei

…

New Note: (01-12-13)

I decided, screw it. I'm going to touch up the earlier chapters as I move to finish this story.

This is one of my early works that I actually rather liked writing.

For those who are new to the story, I hope you enjoy the changes. For those who read this looong ago, it's up to you if you want to read it again or not. The premise remains the same, but it might make for a nice read.

-Zetsumei


	2. Imaginary Memories

A/N (01-12-13): Since this is one of the few stories I have an idea of how I want it to end, I decided to make these initial chapters, however short, as enjoyable as possible.

I will note, however, that I have tried to keep this story strictly within the Final Fantasy VII game universe. I will try not to mention anything from Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus, etc. I _may_ refer to Crisis Core, but that is quite unlikely.

Heavy Edits Completed: January 13, 2013

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 1 – Imaginary Memories

_The nightmares came again, they always did. For thirty long years, I was locked in this infinite loop. That bastard of a scientist did something to me. No matter how I tried to look away, to forget, I could not break out of the confines of my own mind. Time and time again, I watched her breathe her last, felt her fall lifeless in my arms, screamed as my own time stopped. But something was different tonight, one minor tweak in my memories, something that wasn't there in the countless times I had dreamt this dream._

_A creak._

_Another creak followed by voices. As I watched Lucretia die again, I couldn't help notice how much noisier the memory was. A male voice I didn't recognize was speaking rather loudly. A more feminine voice shushed him, almost as loudly. And a cool voice spoke in a low undertone, after which the first two promptly shut up. Then there was a clack, it sounded close. I felt myself waking for the first time in thirty years. Part of me wanted to cheer, the other part of me wondered if Hojo was here to finish me off. The lid was slowly pushed off of the coffin that served as my prison._

"_To wake me from a nightmare…"_

_Of all the asinine things I could say after thirty years, I had to say the most obvious thing on my mind. Shaking my head, I sat up. My muscles groaned in protest. I felt stiff, my senses dulled. Then again, I suppose I was lucky to have retained any motor functions after such a long period of inactivity. There was a faint buzzing in the back of my head, faint voices I thought I might recognize, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it and let the matter lie._

_I finally looked up to face my liberators. The people in the room tensed, as if waiting for me to attack. I gazed at them, taking in their features as I had been trained to do long ago. A young man with unruly blonde hair that stuck out, resembling a chocobo, stood slightly in front of the others. One hand was raised, ready to unsheathe the massive buster sword on his back, his eyes darted across my body, anticipating an attack. He was clearly the leader. A strange, red-furred creature stood to his left. Its single golden eye emanated wisdom. It too was tense, though its tail twitched with curiosity, the flaming tip leaving a small trail of light in the dusty room. A young girl stood to the man's right. Of all the individuals in the room, she was the least wary of me. Her gloves indicated she was a fighter, but her stance said she did not expect me to attack. Instead, she watched me with a strange expression. Locking eyes with her, I noticed her wine colored eyes were full of some foreign emotion._

_Was it pity?_

_Concern?_

_Why would she possibly care for someone she barely knew?_

_The man, apparently deciding I was not a threat, had begun talking about why they were here. They called themselves AVALANCHE, apparently. I barely caught something about Shinra and what they were doing to the Planet, my mind still preoccupied with the strange girl. The man stopped talking, staring at me as if expecting some kind of response. My throat felt dry, but I was able to choke out a few more raspy words._

"_Leave, for this place is the beginning of your nightmares."_

_There was nothing for me out there. Thirty years and I might as well be a dead man. The three members of AVALANCHE stared at me as I reached for the lid of the coffin._

"_Wait!"_

_The blonde man's hand shot out, a bit faster than I would have expected. He looked at me with a tired expression and continued._

"_You're right. This place was where Sephiroth went insane." His voice faltered and he suddenly looked rather lost._

_The name triggered a memory, which inevitably reminded me of Lucretia. Had Hojo's experiments succeeded? Gast had clearly stated that the probability of the child surviving was less than one percent. He couldn't be alive… could he?_

"_Sephiroth…"_

_I spoke his name. It seemed unfamiliar despite my acquaintance with the child. And I felt something akin to hope blossom inside me. I relinquished my hold on the coffin lid and turned stared at the man._

"_Do you know Lucrecia then?" I asked, a bit of hope emerging in my tormented mind._

_But the man looked confused. I knew at a glance it was a hopeless endeavor. I doubted the bastard scientist had the decency to even give her a proper burial. The leader of AVALANCHE shook his head, confirming my assumptions._

"_Who?" He queried._

_I sighed and provided him the necessary information._

"_The lady who gave birth to Sephiroth." It was all I could do not to remember that horrid night._

_That confused look intensified. In the back of my mind, I vaguely wondered if he was really the group's leader._

"_Wasn't Jenova his mother?"_

_I shook my head, suddenly interested at the line of reasoning. How could a frozen alien corpse be considered the mother of anything?_

"_No."_

_My mind was racing, trying to piece together the events of the last thirty years. The leader pressed on._

"_Then can you tell us about Sephiroth?"_

_Something had happened in the last thirty years, that much was for certain. Sephiroth was alive, if he was indeed the same child from his memories. I had the distinct feeling it was beyond my abilities to rectify. Besides, what use could they have for an old broken soldier. I declined his request._

"_No. Listening to your story has added yet another sin upon me."_

_I looked once more at the young girl. She seemed somehow sad and disappointed that I was going back into my coffin. I felt an odd twinge in my heart._

'_Strange. Is this… guilt?'_

_Could I truly let this matter lie and return to my nightmares?_

…

_I ended up joining the small group, dismissing it as wanting to find Hojo to atone for my sins. And we found him, demented and mostly insane. The man injected Jenova cells into himself and transformed into a hideous beast. We slew him and, though his death did little to clear my conscience, I felt slightly better after killing him. The team was now preparing for the final attack on Sephiroth with the barrier around North Crater now dissipated._

_I reflected upon the group I had joined barely a month ago. We had shared good times and bad, though I never showed any joy or sorrow. It wasn't as though I didn't react, it was simply a skill I built up in my time with the Turks. Unfortunately, this skill had disturbed the group and they had almost turned on me._

"_Why won't you show any remorse?! Not one tear for Aerith?! What kind of monster are you?!"_

_Our leader, Cloud, was a broken man following the death of our Cetra healer, Aerith. In his anger, he had raised his sword, attempting to kill me._

"_Stop!"_

_His childhood friend, Tifa shouted as she grabbed the wild man, twisting his weapon out of his hands. Her wine colored eyes were red, she had spent most of the night following her friend's death crying. She had a panicky look on her face as she pleaded with Cloud._

"_What is happening to our group?! We're falling apart!"_

_Tifa had seemed exhausted and once again on the verge of tears as she tried to stop her childhood friend. The stress was clearly breaking the poor girl's mind. I tried to take matters into my own hands_

"_It's okay Tifa. If he wants me to leave, I will."_

_She stared at me in shock. After a moment, she retaliated, a sudden anger in her eyes._

"_If you're leaving, then so am I!"_

_Upset by her outburst, Cloud stepped forward, grabbing her by the shoulder._

"_Tifa, think about what you're saying!"_

_The girl spun, glaring coldly at her friend._

"_I did. I'm not kidding Cloud."_

_Cloud stared for several minutes. Finally, he threw his hands in the air._

"_Fine! Do what you want! He'll probably enjoy seeing us all die!"_

_This, unbeknownst to Cloud, completely killed what little team morale we had left. After all, he practically said that we would fail in our mission. I stared at my so called leader._

"_Cloud, don't speak like that to your teammates."_

_My voice carried a surprising amount of anger. I should have been in more control than that. I blamed it on lack of practice. The blonde haired man whirled on me, lashing out again._

"_Shut up! Who are you to give me advice on how to lead my team."_

_The man turned and stormed out of the building, leaving a stunned group behind. My eyes remained fixated on the door._

'_Your team?'_

_We had then continued our journey in a tense silence. Cloud never spoke to me again after that confrontation. Eventually, I gained an unspoken unanimous leadership of the group. Cloud sort of faded from existence, becoming more and more isolated as we neared North Crater for the first time. We had then found out that his erratic behavior was mostly due to mental instability. Apparently, he wasn't really an ex-SOLDIER, rather an experiment of Hojo's like I was. The combined stress of this knowledge and the guilt of failing Aerith really broke the man. Tifa later told me of the journey through his memories as she tried to piece together the man known as Cloud Strife._

_It was a changed man that now led AVALANCHE. The once dysfunctional team was filled with new vigor, determined to see the mission through. After a few words with Reeve concerning evacuation plans in the event Meteor hit, the team left Midgar and made their way towards North Crater. During the flight, Tifa came to my room. She looked rather shy standing there in the doorway._

"_Hey, Vincent?" Her voice was small, timid._

_Something was clearly bothering the young fighter. I let her inside, closing the door after her. Sitting down on my bed, I turned my attention to her._

"_Yes?"_

_She fidgeted slightly, seemingly uncomfortable with what she was about to ask._

"_Why did you return?"_

_I paused, caught off guard by the question. Her face flushed red and she tried to clarify._

"_N-not that I don't want you here, it's just… we killed Hojo…" she trailed off lamely._

_I held her gaze for a moment before speaking._

"_I know what I'm fighting for. Just like Cloud asked of us."_

_Her lips twitched downwards momentarily. I hadn't answered her question apparently._

"_Yes, I know, but for what?" She turned her eyes on me._

_I thought for a second._

"_I must allow Lucrecia the chance to see her son."_

_Hesitantly, Tifa sat down next to me. She spoke slowly, trying to gather her thoughts._

"_Cloud's been becoming more distant… He swears he can hear her. He claims she's telling him to hurry. That's why he gave us so little time to think and visit with our family. Of course, I have none, so it doesn't really matter."_

_I wanted to say, 'Why are you telling me this?', but decided to let her continue instead._

"_I don't get it… why am I so unlucky in love? I practically saved his life, yet he remains loyal to Aerith…"_

_I watched as she lowered her head and continued to speak._

"_Nobody will notice once I die… Nobody will remember me. It's just…"_

_Tears began to form in her wine colored eyes._

"_There's just so much to do that I haven't done… and it's all going to disappear. Lifestream and that's it! Vincent, we're going to die without ever enjoying life! I don't want that! I hate it! I don't want to die yet, Vincent!"_

_She was having a panic attack. Being so close to North Crater and Sephiroth with nothing to do made her think too much. I held her as she gasped and sobbed. Her shoulders shook as her tears dampened my shirt slightly._

"_It's not fair! Why are we the ones who bear this burden? Who chose us to do this?"_

_I finally managed to get a word in between her broken sobs._

"_Shh… It's okay. You're not going to die."_

_The words sounded hollow even as I spoke them. I continued anyway._

"_Everything will be fine. It's seven versus one. We completely outnumber him and our combined strength is more than his."_

_She took several shuddering breaths, choking slightly as she did. After several minutes, she dried her eyes, head lowered in embarrassment._

"_Sorry about that, Vincent."_

_Her voice was barely audible over the hum of the Highwind's engines. I shook my head as she gradually relinquished my shirt._

"_You don't need to say that. It's perfectly okay to be frightened when confronted with the possibility of death."_

_Still unwilling to look me in the eyes, she stood. From my position, I could see her face was still very red._

"_We should get going…"_

_With that, she quickly left._

_We confronted Sephiroth in the very pits of the Planet. He had been infused with such a large volume of Mako that his body had expanded and changed to cope. After almost a full hour of struggling, he fell, sinking into the depths of the Planet. I was relieved my prediction had been accurate. Tifa was ecstatic._

_Then it happened._

_The whole place stared to collapse. Our battle had weakened the walls of the cavern and the Crater was now collapsing in on itself. The others rushed out, running for the steps that led up. But before we could escape, a large chunk of rock blocked me and Tifa from the exit. She looked at me, eyes wide with fright. As if in slow motion, I watched as another piece of the ceiling fell and crushed her beneath it._

"_Tifa!"_

_Even as I screamed, another pieced fell, then another. Eventually everything fell into darkness._

…

"Tifa!"

Vincent Valentine woke in a cold sweat. His eyes darted around the room, panicked mind trying to determine where he was. He visibly jumped as a hand touched his bare arm and a familiar voice spoke.

"Vincent, are you alright?" It had been years since he heard her voice.

He turned. Beside him lay Lucrecia, as alive as he was. Confused, the disciplined man could only stutter.

"What? But… how… you died…" the man's brain raced, trying to understand the situation.

A troubled look appeared on the young woman's face. Her bottom lip protruded slightly as she pouted.

"Vincent Valentine! Is that any way to speak to your charge? Come on. You must've had a nightmare," she reasoned.

Vincent shook his head, trying to shake off the mists of sleep that still clouded his mind.

"But it was so real…?"

Lucrecia laughed at his confusion.

"That's how some nightmares are. Come on. We don't want Hojo becoming suspicious, do we?"

That name brought up lingering hatred. Vincent cupped his face in his hands, muttering as he did.

"Hojo… He died as well…"

The woman cocked an eyebrow at this as she stared up at him from her place on the bed.

"Wow…Your nightmares are sure morbid." Lucrecia commented lightly.

Desperation crept into Vincent's voice as he tried to justify his apparent dream.

"No! It was real! Everything I felt, everything I saw! Everyone I met! Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Barret, Nanaki, Yuffie, Cid, and Cait Sith! They were all there!"

Lucrecia looked rather worried now. She sat up, embracing the frantic man. She spoke in a soothing tone.

"Vincent, calm down. You're overreacting. I've never even heard of those names. I doubt anyone on the Planet is named after them. You just had a terrible nightmare. It'll pass."

Finally, Vincent relaxed, leaning into his once-deceased lover.

"Fine. You go on ahead. I need to think about this for a while."

Lucrecia scolded him in a joking manner.

"Vincent! It's your job to protect me! As the best of the Turks, you shouldn't abandon your charge!"

Vincent twitched slightly. He hadn't gotten used to being called a Turk again. Or maybe he'd always been a Turk. Lucrecia laughed at his reaction.

"Only kidding. Hurry up! We have experiments to run!"

The cheerful woman left the room, leaving the pensive man behind. Vincent let out a long sigh as he leaned back against his pillow. That dream had just been in the future where he thought Hojo had shot him, gave him a prosthetic, and locked him in a coffin where he would be found thirty years later by a terrorist group called AVALANCHE. He laid an arm across his eyes. In the resulting darkness, he could still see them, clear as day. It seemed he really did have an amazing imagination. He frowned in annoyance.

'No! That definitely happened.'

He mentally chided himself. Laying there, he began to wonder about it all.

'Was it some kind of vision? Maybe it was a glimpse of the future?'

It sounded completely ridiculous in his head. He rolled out of bed and put on his Turk uniform. It felt uncomfortably stiff after wearing the outfit from his dream. Vincent stared at himself in the mirror, flexing his left hand. After a moment, he clenched it, a determined look on his face. He decided to write it all down. During one of the scientists' trips in Nibelheim, he bought a leather bound notebook from a local shop. He wrote everything that had happened in his 'dream', making sure he covered everything in great detail as to not forget anything. Detailing his memories became an obsession.

'It couldn't have been a dream. I definitely remember being hurt and shot at by MPs and Shinra.'

It took the better part of a week, be he finally managed to complete his writings, filling out most of the book. After some consideration, he also sketched out a drawing of each member. Again in perfect detail, it appeared they were alive and staring at them. One day, after their daily experiments, Lucrecia came back into Vincent's room. She noticed the now worn notebook and picked it up. She smiled brightly as she opened it.

"Aw. How cute. Vinnie has a diary!"

Vincent remembered a certain ninja had also called him that name. Frowning, he dismissed her comments.

"Not really."

Lucrecia's eyes widened as she began to read. After an hour or so, she finished, lowering the notebook to stare at the man in bewilderment.

"All this happened in your dream?!"

She turned the page and saw the drawings.

"Wow. You have a vivid imagination."

Vincent sighed from his place on the bed.

"Lucrecia, do you think I would be able to draw someone from a random dream in that detail?

Lucrecia shrugged, setting the notebook aside.

"I dunno. Anything's possible with you, Vincent."

The man sighed wearily, closing his eyes.

"I can still see her…"

Lucrecia gave him a mockingly stern look.

"Vincent Valentine. Are you falling in love a girl from a dream?"

Vincent opened his eyes, holding Lucrecia's gaze. He answered monotonously.

"Well, of course. If it's the girl of my dreams, I must like her then, hm?"

The woman giggled helplessly.

"Vincent! You're awful!"

Lucrecia reached over and slapped him on the shoulder. Vincent smiled, something he rarely did in his dream. It was nice, having this again. He missed the energetic woman. However, he couldn't help hoping that he would see the members of AVALANCHE again.

Whether it was in a dream or not.

…

Me: Major changes, more detail, it pretty much doubled in length. I found the original simply went by too fast, it was predominantly dialogue. I find the storytelling improves with a clearer description of each scene. Personal preference, let me know if you don't like it or something.


	3. Reality and Fantasy

Me: Haha… glad you readers are still with me. This chapter is gonna be even weirder. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Glad you like it! **If you like this story, go read Exile! My story!**

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 2 – Reality and Fantasy

"Wakey wakey, Vinnie!"

Vincent opened his eyes. He saw Yuffie sitting in front of him.

"Yuffie?"

"No, silly. It's me."

His vision blurred slightly and he was staring at Lucrecia again.

"Oh. Sorry Lucrecia."

"Dream still on your mind?"

"Yes. I can't get it out of my head."

Lucrecia just smiled at him and walked off.

"Oh, Vincent?"

"Yes?"

"Hojo asked me to participate in an experiment. Just like in your dreams."

"Really?" Vincent asked skeptically.

"Yeah. But don't worry. Our experiments are always safe. No harm can come of it."

"Lucrecia…"

"Vincent. You're letting a simple dream get to you. Just forget about it."

With that, she left the room. Vincent pulled out the black notebook. He gazed at the drawings. He put it away. He put on his normal blue Turks uniform and headed downstairs.

"Okay peoples!" Gast said. "This is what we're going to do."

He explained about the project and how they had found a strange new cell. It was different from the double helix of normal humans. It was a triple helix. It looked pretty complex on the projector screen. The three spirals were not of normal chemicals either. Instead of sugar phosphate, they were composed of highly unstable uranium and plutonium. Also, the 'rungs' if you call it, were not adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. They were composed of neodymiun, dysprosium, lutetium, and gadolinium, chemicals nearly non-existent on the Planet.

(A/N: Shut up you geeks. I don't give a damn it those explode or something like that when combined. I just chose a couple random elements and stuff…)

"Now you know what we have, our first priority should be to try and duplicate it. Let's mosey." Gast said, clapping his hands together.

Vincent's head jerked up. He saw Cloud standing there.

"This is the final battle. Sephiroth is so close. We must beat him. Let's mosey!"

Vincent blinked and shook his head.

'Are you real or not!' He thought fervently.

A ways away, Lucrecia stared sadly at Vincent.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Months later, the Jenova project was well underway.

"I wonder if it's a boy or a girl?" Lucrecia rubbed the growing lump in her stomach.

"It will be a boy." He said dully

"Vincent. I thought you forgot about the dream."

"It's apparent you haven't."

"Yes, well. It's kinda hard to forget a story depicting your own death."

"…"

"What if I die from childbirth? I really don't want to die yet… with so much yet to live for…"

"You won't die, Tifa."

"What?"

Vincent shook his head several times.

"Sorry, Lucrecia."

She sighed, gave him a look and left.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"It's a boy!" The cry came several months later.

Lucrecia wiped her forehead.

"What are you going to name him?"

"I think I'll call him Sephiroth."

"Lucrecia, I thought you wanted me to forget about the dream."

"Yes, I know. But it's so funny watching you struggle." She grinned evilly at him.

"Right…"

"Very good, Lucrecia. I shall take him for testing." Hojo scooped up Sephiroth.

The baby's cries intensified, as if sensing the evil intentions of this deranged psychopath.

"What! I thought you said we were only testing to see how the Jenova cells reacted!"

"Yes, well, change in plan."

Lucrecia looked at Vincent in horror. Vincent stared at Hojo, same expression on his face. Hojo left the room.

"Oh, Vincent! I'm sorry I didn't believe you! You have to stop him! He can't do that to poor Sephiroth!" She cried. "Please!"

"I know."

Vincent grabbed a pistol from his shelf and strode after them. He burst through the doors of Nibelheim Mansion. He heard cursing.

"-bleep-! I don't know what the -bleep- he's thinking. Taking an innocent child like that!"

"Cid? Are you alright?"

"Vincent! I should be asking you the same thing! Since when has my name been Cid!"

"Sorry, professor. Which way did Hojo go?"

"To the labs…"

Vincent rushed off.

"Hojo! Stop this madness! Release the child!"

Hojo turned, grinning madly.

"You know, Vincent, buddy? I never really liked Lucrecia whoring herself to you. Did you know we were married?" He flashed a ring.

"Since when!"

"A long time ago."

"It doesn't matter now. Technically, that's my child. Now let him go."

"Good bye, Vincent." Hojo said, completely ignoring what Vincent had just said.

This time, Vincent was prepared for it. He dodged the bulled, dived to the ground and shot the pistol out of Hojo's grasp. Hojo looked stunned… for a second. Then he sneered.

"Nice reflexes." He said.

Vincent fired again. He watched as Hojo seemed to vanish and appear next to him, holding another pistol.

"But… can you dodge this?" He asked, aiming at Vincent who was still on the ground.

The gunshot seemed to last an eternity. The bullet flew from the barrel and slowly inched its way to his chest. As it entered, a dull pain slowly increased to a fiery burn. He screamed. Clutching his chest, where his blood was gushing. Hojo walked off and picked up a syringe pulsating with bright green material.

"Here you go, Sephiroth."

The baby's screams intensified as Jenova cells burned their way into his body. Vincent also screamed in anger at Hojo. Time melded into nothing as the room faded from Vincent's view. That is, until chemicals injected into his spinal cord sent every nerve on fire and awoke him.

"Now, I was going to save this for later but now is a good time…"

Vincent felt the cold metal of a saw bite into his flesh. Hojo grinned in his face as he worked the teeth of the saw slowly back and forth, taking as much time as possible.

"Scream, Vincent." Hojo said.

"Shut the hell up you sick son of a bitch!"

Hojo pulled at the saw with a vicious jerk.

"Scream." He repeated.

"Burn in hell!"

Hojo reached his elbow joint. He removed the saw, placed a hand on his forearm and upper arm, and pulled. Vincent let out a fresh howl as the joint snapped and flesh tore. Using pure strength, Hojo had torn the remainder of Vincent's arm off. He held the arm in front of Vincent.

"Hello Vincent!" Hojo said, waving the arm at him.

"Fuck you Hojo!" He screamed as his arm burned in pain.

Hojo smacked the hand of the severed arm across his face.

"Aw, don't beat yourself up. What's done is done." He tossed the arm to a cage full of hungry dogs. "Would you like to watch?"

Hojo tilted the table with Vincent strapped to it towards the dogs. He was forced to watch as they hungrily tore at the flesh. Hojo laughed maniacally.

"HOJO!" Gast rushed into the room. "You've gone too far!"

He raised a pistol to fire. Hojo sighed.

"Why is everyone trying to shoot me these days?" He said casually.

Gast fired. The bulled caught Hojo in the chest. Blood spurted from the wound, but Hojo stood still. Then slowly, he began to laugh.

"What the hell are you!" Gast gasped.

"FOOL! You think a mere bullet can kill me! NEVER! Not with the cells of Jenova in me!"

"You're insane!" Gast shouted.

"Yes, yes. That is the common consensus…" Hojo said airily.

He began to change. His arms turned into many tentacles and his face mutated. His body elongated and twisted as his skin changed colors. When the transformation was complete, Gast found himself face to face with a twenty-foot tall beast. It leered at him.

"Behold the power of Jenova!" He screamed.

Gast stared at the immense, grotesque figure. The beast shot out a tentacle and broke one of his arms. Gast screamed in pain, clutching his shattered arm. He seemed to regain the use of his legs and quickly ran, leaving Vincent with a laughing Hojo.

"Enjoy that, Vinnie-poo?" He sneered once he had transformed back.

Later, he fixed the prosthetic, wiring his nerves into the wires so that it acted like a normal hand that just looked metal.

"I've really enjoyed our time together, Vinnie…" Hojo smiled. "Time to burn everything you own… Nobody will ever know you existed."

Hojo took everything. His clothes, his belongings, his computer. He even erased all files containing Vincent's name in Midgar's archives. His old Turk clothing was replaced by the attire he wore in his dream.

"What do we have here?" He held up Vincent's notebook. "I'll leave it somewhere. If someone ever finds you…and actually bothers to release you… you can write all your fun adventures with Uncle Hojo in it. Once you find it that is… haha…"

Hojo laughed some more. Vincent realized, moments before he was lowered into the coffin, that if he was going to change the future, he'd need to try harder. Much, much, harder…

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Me: Gawd! That was short! Well… wasn't that strange…? I mean the beginning… oh well… hope you liked it. The next chapter is going to be when they find Vincent. What would happen if someone found the notebook…? Gasp! Oh no! I gave out too much! Bye bye! Read and Review!


	4. Reliving the Past, Changing the Future

We: Well, here ya go. Next chapter. I'm gonna go ahead and skip ahead thirty years. I'm not gonna go too big on these author's notes here… Thank you wonderful reviewers! (bows to you all)

Note: HA! You thought I was bluffing?! WELL, I WASN'T! I WILL NOT POST EXILE UNTIL I HAVE MORE THAN JUST ONE FREAKIN' REVIEW FOR THE CHAPTER! I MEAN, WTF! ONLY ONE HIT AND ONE REVIEW THAT WAS FROM **EMRI**! (Thanks BTW…) NOW! I'm gonna take this time to blatantly advertise for Exile and update some of my other stories. To add suspense, my hidden series, **NOSFERATU'S KEEPER** will not be posted until I finish EXILE! SO IF YOU LIKE VINTI, I SUGGEST YOU GET YOUR LAZY ASSES OVER TO EXILE AND REVIEW FOR IT! ELSE, YOU WILL MISS A GREAT STORY! (cuz I love Nosferatu's Keeper… great vampy story… that it is…)

Now… let's try this agiain… GO READ AND REVIEW FOR EXILE! Here's chapter three…

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 3 – Reliving the Past, Changing the Future

"Okay, let's look for this 'key' then." A male said. "You never know… we might find something useful.

The small group looked around, calling out when they found one of the clues.

"Let's open it up!" A robotic toy said, hopping up and down.

The massive safe was open. They all peered inside, thinking there was some treasure within, with the safe being so big. All they saw was a small red orb, a key, and a rapidly growing blob. One of the group members yelled out in warning as the blob grew into a gigantic form. The monster attacked the group. It chased them down the hall and into the hallway. It appeared to be half red and half purple. The red side was fuzzy and blasted them with continuous magic spells and the purple side had tough hide and kept attacking them. They quickly overpowered it and grabbed both the key and the summon materia. They headed down into the basement. Before reaching the hidden library, they branched off into a smaller chamber. They unlocked it with the key. Upon entering, they found several coffins. A younger member of the group gagged and made loud and annoying comments. The leader shoved the lid off of the coffin that was closed.

…

"To wake me from a nightmare…" Vincent said as if he'd rehearsed it.

Once again, he saw those in his dream. He shook his head slightly.

"Go away. You're not real."

"What are you talking about?" The leader, Cloud, asked.

This scared Vincent slightly. Though they all didn't know him, he knew them all very, very well.

"You were having a nightmare?" Tifa asked.

"Yes, it is my punishment for sinning."

"That's strange…" Nanaki said.

Just like in his dream, they went through, talking about Sephiroth, Shinra, and, eventually, Lucrecia. Again, they left the room. Vincent pinched himself.

'**Is this a dream?'** He asked.

'_No. I do not understand this either. When you dream, it is intensely confusing.'_ The familiar voice of Chaos responded.

'**You've seen my memories, correct?'**

_'Yes. I do not understand how you had a dream of the future in such great detail and over such a long period of time. Even I am confused and that is saying something.'_

Vincent sat on the edge of his coffin, wondering.

…

The group went into the library. Cloud yelled at Sephiroth. He turned and looked at them. He said something about the reunion, completely ignored Cloud, and threw a materia orb at Cloud. He flew out of the library and out of the mansion. In the process, he knocked several books off the shelves.

"MIINNNEEEE!" Yuffie squealed and leapt at the orb.

The group started to leave the library. Tifa stayed back slightly. She picked up the books Sephiroth had knocked down in his slipstream. She began to rearrange them and put them back onto the shelf. While she was organizing, her hand brushed something that felt newer than the dusty tomes. It appeared to be a normal black notebook. She opened it. Inside, in perfect handwriting, was the name, Vincent Valentine.

'So this is his diary or something?' She wondered.

She read what was inside.

_I do not know if this was a dream or something else, but I am going to write it all here in this journal. I dreamt that I was asleep in a coffin for thirty years, put there by Hojo after he took my arm and destroyed who I am. One person awoke me._

Tifa stared at the next line.

_His name was Cloud. There were also two others. An intelligent feline called Nanaki, or Red XIII, as they called him. And a beautiful girl, named Tifa. She reminds me of how Lucrecia looks right now._

Tifa closed her eyes. This was very confusing. If this was a dream… a dream from when? She flipped to the end of the entry. It continued for twenty pages, front and back, in Vincent's tiny scripture. At the end, she found the date.

July 11, 1973.

Tifa stared at the date. But that was over thirty years ago… How did this man… She turn the page and gasped. She was staring at a perfect drawing of Cloud. Every line was exactly as it was on the real Cloud. On the next page, she found herself staring at a picture of her. Each member of AVALANCHE took a whole page in the journal. Everyone that was with AVALANCHE. Even Vincent himself. She put the book in her backpack.

"Who are you, Vincent Valentine?" She wondered aloud.

…

"Wait!"

"What is it?"

Vincent hurried up to the group.

"If I follow you, will I meet Hojo?"

"Probably. He's with Shinra."

"Very well then."

Tifa glanced at Vincent to find him shaking his head.

'He probably thinks this is another dream.' She thought.

She would have to ask him later about the notebook. They headed into the Nibel Mountains. They had no trouble passing through the place since Vincent seemed to scare off all life. They started to cross the bridge. Vincent pondered as he looked at the aged roping.

'Hmm… this should be safe. Last time we crossed, all was well.' He felt something give way. 'Maybe not…'

"Everyone!" He suddenly yelled. "Get away!"

Everyone jumped at his voice, but complied. They hurried off the bridge. As they ran, the poles holding the ropes started to bend and snap due to the combined weight of all the members and their running. Then the ropes, sensing that the poles wouldn't bend any further, gave. Two loud snaps rent the still air as they ran feverishly to the other side. This ended with some running on limp lines and planks. Nanaki, Tifa, and Vincent were at the very back when the ropes lost all grip on the poles. Nanaki leapt onto the falling planks, using them as steps, and gracefully landed on the other side. Tifa, however, fell due to a misstep on a plank and causing the bridge to flip. She screamed as the world inverted and her head was suddenly pointing at the ground, hundred of feet below in the mist. Though upside-down, Vincent remained calm and leapt after her falling form, catching her, but the wall fell away from them.

"Tifa! Vincent!" Cloud yelled as they still continued to fall.

They gradually disappeared into the darkness.

…

'This is it…' Tifa thought sadly. 'This is the end.'

She felt Vincent shift. She was suddenly held on top of Vincent.

"What are you doing?!" She cried.

'He intends to save me!' She thought frantically as realization dawned.

"NO! Vincent!" She screamed, voice lost in the wind.

But it was too late, they hit the ground below. Tifa heard bones snap as the air was forced from her lungs. Then, everything fell to darkness.

…

"Shit!" Cloud shouted as the pair vanished into the abyss.

"Come on, Spike… I'm sure Vincent will take care of her… let's… let's go…" Barret said unconvincingly.

The small band of people continued on their way down the Nibel Mountains.

…

Gradually, she regained consciousness.

"Ow…" she muttered.

She looked down at Vincent. He was laying there, in a pool of his own blood. She could see the bones that had broken through the skin during the crash.

"Vincent…" she felt tears coming to her eyes.

She knelt there, crying into his chest. Eventually, she fell asleep.

…

Hours later, Vincent opened his eyes. He silently thanked Hojo for those twisted experiments. He tried to sit up but found that he couldn't. There was an unfamiliar weight on his chest. He looked to find Tifa there, quietly sleeping. He could see faint tear marks on her face.

'She was worried.'

'**That much is obvious.'**

Gently, he lifted her so that she was leaning against him. Then he slowly shook her awake. Her eyes fluttered open.

"V…Vincent…?"

"Yes…!"

She flung her arms around him.

"You… but you died!" She cried.

"Tifa, I'm fine…"

"Don't scare me like that again!"

"I'm sorry…"

She cried for a bit longer before wiping her eyes.

"Feel better?" He inquired.

"Yes… thanks for saving me…"

"Anyone would have." He dismissed.

"We should head back to the others."

He nodded. They set off down the mountain. As the sun set, Tifa noted that they should find somewhere to stay. They found a cave. Vincent gathered some wood and lit the bundle with his fire materia. They sat in silence for some time. Vincent watched as Tifa pulled out a black book.

'Wonder what she's reading…?' He mused.

After some time, she spoke.

"Strange. This wasn't supposed to happen." She said, glancing at him.

He stared at her blankly for a while. Then realization of what she was reading hit him.

"Where did you find this?" He growled, snatching the book out of her hands.

Tifa looked slightly shocked and frightened at the reaction.

"In the library." She said meekly.

He sighed.

"This wasn't for you to read…"

"Who are you Vincent Valentine? How do you know us?" She glared at him accusingly.

He sighed again.

"How much have you read?"

"Just up to this part in the mountains. And the pictures. They're really good. Who's that guy with the cig?" She said trying to cheer him up.

"You will meet him later. Please do not read any more."

"Why? Does something bad happen?"

"In a sense… yes…" He muttered.

"Well, we gotta stop it!"

"Tifa, if you meddle with time, the future could go through drastic changes."

She pouted. He stared at the book cover for some time. Then he sighed for a third time.

"Fine. But…"

"Yay!" Tifa said happily.

"You may only read it until what has most recently happened."

"Okay."

"Promise me! Because if you do, you never know what would happen once you gained the knowledge of the future."

"I promise."

"Good."

"Could you explain about it though?"

"I will… explain… but only what I see fit to say."

"Okay."

"I had a dream, thirty years ago…"

"Why thirty? How are you so young?"

"Hojo performed… experiments… of sorts. Then he place me in stasis in that coffin. I have not aged a bit since then."

"Oh…"

"The dream was about AVALANCHE. Yes, I know you all perfectly well. We go and fight Sephiroth, something happens and I woke up to find myself thirty years ago with my love who was supposed to be dead but wasn't."

"That was short…"

"I cannot tell you too much. Telling you that we actually confront Sephiroth might be too much already… In any case. You must not tell anyone about my knowledge or the book. Keep the book hidden from everyone except you and me. NO ONE must read a word in it."

"Gotcha Vince."

He frowned and lay back, wondering what would happen now that someone knew…

…

Me: Yay! There's the third chapter. From now on, I'll basically be doing a recount of the adventures… except many events are changed… what will happen? Is Vincent right in saying that the future may be drastically changed if something is altered? Find out in the next chapter!


	5. Materia Stealing

Me: WOW! So many reviews… BUT NOT FOR EXILE! Wah :P … anyway… by the time you read this, I'll probably be done with finals. So… YEAH! NO MORE FINALS! WHOO! (dances around) WINTER BREAK! YAY! More free time!

Okie… now that that's over with… here's another chapter… I guess… I think you should read this and then go read **Exile**… now…

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 4 – Materia Stealing

Several hours passed after they left their small camp when they saw a small blur in the distance.

"HEY!" Tifa shouted. "OVER HERE!"

As they neared, they could see Cloud's shocked features.

"Shit… Vincent… how'd you two manage to survive that fall!" Barret asked.

Vincent stayed bluntly silent. They had a quick reunion and continued on to Rocket town.

"So, Tifa… did Vinnie suck your blood?"

"What?"

"Ya know. With his fangs… nyah…" she grinned opening her mouth as if to bite Tifa.

"Yuffie… Vincent is not a vampire. He's a normal human being. Treat him like one." Tifa scolded.

"Sorry…" Yuffie said glumly.

The rest of the journey went fairly well. The pilot in Rocket Town wouldn't let them use the plane. But of course, Palmer had started the plane already and they had no choice but to hop on and fly, for some time, out of Rocket Town. The engine blew out as they hovered over the ocean and the plunged right in. After some choking and frantic swimming, they all dragged themselves back onto the crappy plane.

"Let's go to Wutai!" Yuffie said, suddenly.

Vincent knew where this was headed. Tifa didn't because she wasn't allowed to read ahead and she was keeping her word.

"We should not waste time there. We need to get the black materia before Sephiroth does."

"But Wutai is a great place!" Yuffie cajoled. "We could get new weapons, get extra training…"

"We need to get the black _materia_ before we are forced to _steal_ it from him." Vincent said pointedly emphasizing certain words.

Yuffie stared at him.

'Crap! How did Vinnie figure it out so fast?' She thought feverishly.

"Well, Vincent. Yuffie does have a point. We could get better weapons there. Our current ones are becoming ineffective against the larger creatures." Cloud said.

"I just don't want to become a _thief_…"

"True. But stealing from Sephiroth is hardly counted as a crime."

"Maybe in your eyes… but…"

"Okay Cid! Head west! We're going to Wutai!" Yuffie said, trying to draw them off the topic of stealing.

"Wait… We're not…" Vincent tried to no avail.

He sighed, then inched closer to Tifa.

"You tried…" Tifa muttered. "She's going to steal our materia isn't she?"

They were safe from eavesdroppers since the engine was so loud.

"Not many noticed my hints though. I know Yuffie did. Nanaki and Aeris did too, probably. But no one else."

"Yeah. They're pretty stupid aren't they." Tifa said laughing.

"Just keep an extremely close eye on your materia. Even if it means not sleeping."

"Okay."

They reached Wutai in a couple hours. Vincent noticed that Yuffie was being extremely social and talking to everyone. He could only barely notice her hands darting to their weapons and armor. He noticed that she did it when she was talking so as not to attract attention.

"Hiya Vinnie! Whatcha doing? Nice weather today huh? You'll love Wutai. It's…"

His hand darted out from the confines of his cloak to grab hers, inches away from his gun.

"Nice try." He growled.

She glared at him.

"I suggest you give their materia back." Vincent said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

Cloud looked at his sword.

"Hey!"

"Damn you, Vinnie!" Yuffie growled and ran off.

"Catch that damn brat!" Cid shouted.

They chased after her but were stopped by some Shinra soldiers. They knocked them out of their way and continued to chase.

"Oh crap… I forgot to watch her…" Tifa muttered.

"I knew there was something wrong with coming here!" Cloud shouted.

"No, you didn't. You fell right into her trap just like the rest of us."

"You still have your materia don't you?" Cloud said, annoyed.

"I'm more observant than you, I guess."

They continued into Wutai.

"Damn! How are we supposed to find that brat now!" Cid cried in fury.

"Search around." Cloud instructed.

"Vincent walked towards the item/materia shop."

"I would like to buy some materia."

"Sorry. We're all sold out."

Vincent turned around. He opened a chest and picked up a small blue orb.

"Gimmie!" Yuffie leapt down and attempted to steal the orb.

Vincent dodged and, once Yuffie was on the ground, held the orb high above his head, out of her reach.

"Gah! Take this!" Yuffie kicked him hard in the gut causing him to double over, trying to catch his breath.

"Ta ta, Vinnie!" She ran outside.

Vincent glared at the shopkeeper, causing her to turn pink and look away at the evil glare.

"Well, she got away." Tifa said. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…"

"Where did she go?"

"There." He pointed at a door being shut.

The walked over and entered the house.

"Oh, hello. Do I know you?"

"No, grandpa. They're just strangers like that girl that came in here a while ago."

"Oh. Okay…"

Vincent strode over and pushed aside the screen, instantly grabbing Yuffie.

"Damn! How'd you know I was here!" She struggled.

Vincent led her over to Tifa and together, they carried their trophy back to Cloud and the gang.

(A/N: Haha… trophy…)

"Let me go!" She struggled viscously, nearly getting free.

Tifa gave her a quick chop to the neck and she was unconscious.

"Got her." Vincent said to Cloud.

"Good." Cloud poured water on her face.

"Wha?"

"We want our materia back. Then we'll forget the whole thing."

"Fine… it's in my house…"

"Really. Where is it." Vincent glared at her.

"It's in my house!"

They grudgingly followed her down into her basement.

"I just thought…" she started to cry. "That if I could get enough materia… sniff… then I could help Wutai… hic…"

"Once we defeat Sephiroth, we'll help you fix up Wutai." Cloud said.

"T-thanks…" though she knew that she was lying since she would keep their materia anyway, deep inside, she was touched.

'He'd actually do it…!' She thought.

"You'd really do it?" Yuffie asked apprehensively.

"Of course." Cloud smiled. "That's what friends are for!"

"Where's the materia, Yuffie?" Vincent said, interrupting the moment.

"Right lever." She glowered at Vincent.

'He's always screwing my plans up… it's almost like he knows them or something… oh, gawd. I hope I didn't mutter them out in my sleep…'

A sudden picture of Vincent staring at her in her sleep made her blush furiously and shake her head.

"What is it?" Vincent asked.

"N-nothing…"

They followed Cloud into the small room. He pulled the lever. A giant cage fell down, trapping them. Yuffie laughed.

"Nyah! You peoples shouldn't be so trustful! If you want your materia back, I suggest you try to steel it! Get it? Steel?" She ran off laughing.

Cloud freed them and they chased after Yuffie again. They searched all throughout town, but it seemed she had vanished for good.

"Maybe she left town?" Tifa suggested.

"No. I did not sense her leaving." Nanaki said.

They headed into the bar. Upon entering, a voice cried out.

"You!"

The three Turks, Elena, Reno, and Rude, stood up, drawing pistols. AVALANCHE stiffened and took a step back. The next events happened in quick procession. The Turks drew their guns. Vincent suddenly vanished. He appeared behind then, pressing a claw to Elena's jugular vein and the barrel of the Sniper CR to Rude's temple. He then kicked Reno's gun out of his grasp.

"Stop." He commanded as Reno was about to draw his nightstick. "Leave."

"You wouldn't dare… We're the Turks." Reno tried threats.

He pulled the hammer back on the gun and dug the claw into Elena's flesh slightly. A trickle of blood rolled down her throat.

"Reno!" Elena shouted upon seeing that he was going to pass some snide comment. "Just do as he says!"

"Tch! Fine…"

The three Turks left the bar.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

'Of course. That's what friends are for!'

Cloud's voice echoed through her mind. A wave of guilt swept over her.

'I'm a… friend?' She wondered.

"My, my. Today is a lucky day! Lucky! Now I have two beautiful women to spend the night with!"

"Let me go! I swear! Once I get free, you're all dead!" Elena screeched as the kicked and thrashed.

"H-HEY! Let me GO!" Yuffie cried as two thugs grabbed her arms and tied them back.

She kicked out, but the thug held tight. There was a loud bong from above.

"What was that?" Don asked no one in particular.

AVALANCHE burst into the room.

"Put the two of them down!" Cloud shouted.

Don looked hopelessly around for an escape. He started backing away.

"Don Corneo! Rufus Shinra has ordered you to be captured and executed. Any resistance is futile!"

They rushed at him. He ducked out of the way and allowed them to attack AVALANCHE. By the time they had finished, Don and his gang were gone.

"-Bleep-!" Cid cursed and kicked the wall.

"Let's go!" Cloud ran after them.

They reached the town square.

"Oh. You again…" Reno muttered as he spotted Vincent.

His hand tightened over his Sniper CR

"Wait." Rude said.

"Yeah… let's call a temporary truce. As you can see, Elena got taken as well."

"Where did they go?" Tifa asked.

"I'll give you a hint. It's the most obvious place here."

With that, they ran off.

"That would be…" Cloud pondered.

Vincent pointed at Da Chao.

"Oh…"

They hurried off towards the looming mountains.

"Take this." Vincent handed Tifa his materia.

"What about you?" She asked.

"I'll be fine." He said and she slipped the materia into her armor and weapon.

By the time they reached Don Corneo on one of the God's hands, the two girls had been tied to its eyes with Don chuckling perverted thoughts to them.

"Let them go, Corneo!" Cloud shouted.

"Aw… you're no fun. You killed my precious Aps…"

"Let them go!" He repeated.

"But I got a new pet!" Corneo said, completely ignoring Cloud. "Rapps! Come here!"

There came an unearthly screech as the winged figure of Rapps flew into view. It soared at Cloud and he dodged, rolling to the side, nearly falling off. He grabbed the ledge just in time before plummeting to the ground below. Once again, his words echoed through Yuffie's mind.

'Oh, gods… my friends are gonna die and it's my fault!' She thought feverishly.

Rapps swooped into the air, preparing for another attack. Vincent steadied himself. When Rapps came down, he plunged his claws into the monsters belly and attempted to fire at it. Both shots succeeded, but his claw was stuck as it was caught between tough sinew. Rapps had soared into the air again, dragging Vincent along for the ride.

"Vincent!" Tifa cried. "Bolt 2!"

Lightning struck the beast, but because of the metal prosthetic, Vincent was also shocked. The beast shrieked out in pain. Vincent glared at Tifa, making her feel very small and insignificant.

"Dammit girl! Use your head!" He growled.

"Sorry…" she squeaked.

This did not bode well. The only assurance Vincent had was that the beast was dumb enough not to know that if it dived at the remaining members, they couldn't attack in fear of hurting Vincent. Rage coursed through his veins as he felt his body begin to change. He screamed in pain as new flesh replaced his.

(A/N: Now. Depending on which creature you like, I will write in three situations, just cuz I feel like it... Obviously, there is no Chaos because you get him later. Whichever you want, you can skip to the next author's note telling you that this is the end of the split situation. **This part contains excessive violence. Once again, skip to the next author's note.**)

(Galian Beast)

Purple fur erupted on his body. His eyes becamed slightly orange with an internal blaze. Galian roared in fury as two horns curled up from his skull. He breathed flame, setting the beast on fire. Uneffected, Galian tore visciously at the belly of the creature, causing blood, guts, and organs to shower onto the trees below. Then he clawed his way onto the creature's back and ripped at it's spinal cord. Rapps howled in pain as more blood was lost. Galian's fur was now practically dyed red as he silenced the beast with a swipe of his claws. He leapt off the headless creature and back onto the ledge.

(Death Gigas)

Muscles bulged out as Vincent's skin was replaced by a patchwork of dead, dying, and rotting flesh. This new outlook would make even Dr. Frankenstein feel sick. Electricity crackled over the flesh, giving it a charge. Death Gigas growled and let loose one hundred gigawatts of electicity. Rapps screeched and spasmed. The air was filled with the smell of burning flesh. Death Gigas continued to pour electricity into the body. It twitched as lightning burned through its body. Then he climbed onto Rapps's back and gave him a blow to the neck. There was a loud snap as Rapps went limp. Death Gigas used Rapps as a platform as he leapt back to the ledge. The resulting force caused Rapps to fly even faster at the ground, hitting it with a resounding splat.

(Hellmasker)

Vincent let out a moan as his body changed into another man. He looked Wutain but his head kept turning in circles. He wore a mask, blocking out his true identity. Hellmasker used his teeth and started up the chainsaw he gripped in right hand. He sawed off Rapps's tail and both its legs. Rapps screeched as blood showered the ground below. Hellmasker stopped the chainsaw and, using it as an anchor, climberd onto Rapp's back. Like a butcher, he proceeded to slice off parts of Rapps starting from the tail Slowly, pieces formed a pile on the ground below as Hellmasker went at his task. Finally, with one long arc, he severed both wings and the head. He leapt off Rapps as the four remaining pieces landed with a sickening thud on the ground below.

(Okay. That is it for the split situation. This probably came from playing Half-Life too much… Anyway. The story shall continue now.)

Vincent changed as he landed back onto the ledge. Everyone in the viscinity was now staring at him, disturbed and frightened. Corneo had wet his pants at the display. Vincent staggered slightly, about to fall off the side. Tifa caught him and lowered him to the stone. Cloud heaved himself back onto the ledge.

"D-don't come!" Corneo shouted.

He whipped out a small control and pushed a button. With a small snap, the ropes holding the two girls' arms fell away, leaving them dangling upside down.

"Come any closer and we'll have squashed tomatoes!"

A resounding crack rang through the mountains. Corneo screamed as he clutched the remains of the hand holding the device. His hand was now decorated with a large hole throught the side and his pinky was only being held by a strand. Rude holstered his weapon. Corneo stumbled back and fell, just managing to grab onto the edge. Reno approached.

"Now. Why do you think we followed you all the way here? One, we like to travel. Two, we're sure to win. Three, we don't like you.

"N-number two?"

"All wrong." He said, crushing Corneo's fingers beneath his heel. "Cuz it's our job. We're the Turks."

Don Corneo, reclusive millionaire/pimp of Wall Market, hit the groud with a splat, right next to his pet Rapps.

"You came!" Elena shouted.

"Act like a Turk, Elena." Reno said.

"Sorry, sir."

Rude let the two down and gave them each an X-Potion.

"We'll be leaving now." Reno said as they walked off.

Yuffie stared sheepishly at Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent.

"Ummm… sorry guys…"

They returned back to Yuffie's house and she returned all their materia. Needless to say, they forgave her. Now they turned their attention to Vincent. He caught snatches of "He's a monster!" and "Should we kill him?" He left the room.

"That's enough!" Tifa nearly shouted.

They all stared at her.

"Would a monster try to help us!" She asked fiercely. "We would've died from that beast!"

There were mutters of, "sorry…" Tifa ran outside to look for Vincent.

"Vincent?" She called out.

She found him by the river, staring at its clear water.

"Are you okay?"

"…"

"They said you could stay…"

"Oh, really?"

"Well, I kinda forced them to…"

"Really?" He asked, this time looking her straight in the eye.

She fidgeted slightly.

"Sorry I hit you with that spell…"

"It's fine."

"Will you come then?"

"I…"

"You don't have to if you don't want to…"

Vincent looked at her. Her eyes told a different story.

"I will come." He said finally.

With that, the reunited AVALANCHE headed off back to the Tiny Bronco.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Me: Well? Well? How was it? Please, don't kill me… I'm not a psycho murderer or anything like that… Well. Review if you want… Suggestions are always welcome! (waves small watch in front of audience and speaks in monotone…)

Me: When I snap my fingers, you will press the funny purple button… then you wil hit submit review… then… you will go read Exile… you will review for Exile… that would make me most pleased… You will wake up… now.

(snaps fingers and vanishes)


	6. Some Things Were Meant to Happen

Me: HAPPY MLK DAY! Here's chapter 5! Ah HA! HERE'S THE MAJOR CHANGE IN REVISION! (just in case you didn't read this chapter before it was revised…)

THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!

READ EXILE DAMMIT!

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 5 – Some Things Were Meant to Happen

They reached the Temple of the Ancients for the second time. They had come to the crumbling building the first time to find that it was sealed.

"Who the heck seals up this piece of crap!" Yuffie cried.

"Aw, shut it, brat. Yer just unhappy cuz you can't get whatever materia that's inside."

"There's materia inside?" Yuffie asked happily.

"Yeah… that's all you want, huh, brat?"

"Hey! I…" she began to protest.

"Leave her alone Cid… she's already proven she wants to help," came Cloud's unexpected response.

Yuffie stared at him in puzzlement, but he had already looked away.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Now, they entered the place once again. They had found out that they needed something called a keystone to get in. Coincidentally, the man who had it sold it to Dio, owner of Gold Saucer. It had been eventful indeed…

(Flashback)

The bright lights and loud noise of Gold Saucer greeted the group as they stepped off of the tram. A particularly fat chocobo hopped over to them.

"Ho ho hoo… Welcome to Gold Saucer…"

"Cut the crap and shut the -bleep- up!" Cid growled brandishing the Dragoon Lance so that it whooshed right under his nose.

The chocobo ran frantically away, tripping over himself in the process. (Just imagine a fat guy in a fat chocobo suit waddling away and then tripping over himself…) Cloud showed the ticket girl their lifetime passes and they entered the brightly lit entrance hall. The rest of the group showed their cards as well. Cid had his from his time while working with Shinra. Vincent showed the girl his card. She frowned.

"Sir, this card is over thirty years old… you look exactly the same as this picture…" she pointed at the picture.

Vincent sighed.

"It's a long story… this is my card."

"Well, I'll need you to type in your password to reactivate this card… as proof that this is your card."

Vincent sighed again and typed in a password. As shocked as the girl seemed, she handed the card back without another word. They all stepped into the brightly lit entrance hall.

"Gods…" Vincent muttered squinting at the light.

Tubes lined the walls as the sounds of people's voices traveled up from them. Young children laughed with glee as adults mingled with merriment. Vincent felt like he was going to be sick. He quickly walked over to a tube that said Ghost Hotel and leapt in. Tifa smiled. He didn't like loud noise and crowds.

"Okay, folks." Cloud said, apparently not noticing Vincent's disappearance… or not caring. "I'm gonna go find Dio. If anyone wants to come, you may. I'll call you all on the PHS when I have the stone."

Several people ran off in different directions. Aeris stayed with Cloud. Tifa stayed as well. They headed down the tube that said Battle Arena. The air rushed past them as they zoomed down the slide. (Has anyone ever wondered how they get back up?) Aeris squeaked as she tried to keep her billowing dress down. They reached the arena. There was a loud scream.

"Oh, I don't think he'll be continuing!" An announcer shouted to the crowd. "The medics are now taking him away and the tamers are attempting to calm the beast!"

There was a loud crash, followed by several more screams.

"Oh shit! Everyone get back!" The announcer shouted. "Don't go near it! Let it go!"

Suddenly, a large dragon burst through the front gates with a roar. It's eyes fell on Aeris since her dress stood out the most. It charged at her, claws extended and spittle flying from its open jaws. She screamed as it drew nearer. Cloud suddenly appeared in front of it and deflected the attack. It continued to slash out at Cloud, but he successfully blocked each attack. Seeing that it wasn't going to get the girl in the pink, it turned to the other. It started to inhaled.

"Tifa! Look out!" Cloud shouted, seeing that it was about to breath fire.

She watched as the dragon loomed over her. There was a gunshot as a bullet passed straight through the creature's neck. Now, my friends, this is why you don't kill a dragon before it breathes. The gave a panicked gurgle as fire began to spew from it's wound. In a matter of seconds, the fires that had once been its weapon consumed it and turned it to ash. Tifa turned to look at Vincent.

"I thought you went to the hotel…?"

"Someone screamed."

"That would be me…" Aeris said sheepishly.

"Come on, Aeris, let's go…" Cloud said.

There was loud applause. The crowd that had come out of the stadium had watched as Cloud and Vincent slew the beast.

"Good job! You saved the people and my business!" Dio said happily. "I'll give you anything! Name what you want!"

"Oh, in that case, I'll take the keystone." Cloud said.

"That little thing? Whatever, take it and thanks!" Dio waved and walked off to retrieve the stone.

They headed towards the Station and Cloud called the others.

"Man… I wanted to stay longer…" Yuffie whined.

"We didn't come here to play…" Cloud said, though he withered under her 'puppy eyes'.

They neared the tram. The conductor stopped them.

"Sorry, sir, the tram is in maintenance right now. You'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Dammit!" Cid cursed.

"Watch it, sir, there are children around." The conductor scolded.

"We can stay at the Ghost Hotel. I'll get rooms." Cait Sith bounced off.

Late that night, Tifa sat reading the notebook. The only thing that had changed was that Cloud didn't have to fight in the tournament. Now they were here in the hotel. She remembered what Vincent had told here, but her eyes wandered down the page.

'NO! You promised Vincent you wouldn't!' She scolded herself.

'It's just a peek… what could happen…?' Her mind argued.

'He'll be angry!'

'He won't know.'

'But…'

'Don't you want to know what happens?'

'Well… yes… but…'

'Just do it…'

'I… ah…'

Eventually her curiosity got the better of her. She looked at the next paragraph.

Late that night, I was lying in bed when I heard Aeris go into Cloud's room. They talked for a while, something about a date…

Tifa looked up. Eyes wide with shock and horror. She dropped the book and rushed out of her room and towards Cloud's in the next hall down. She turned to corner to see the two laughing and walking off towards the elevators, Cloud's hand around Aeris's waist. Her hand reached out uselessly as the two disappeared around the corner. Her hand slumped down in defeat. She jumped as someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"O…Of course!" She put on a fake smile.

"Right when I told you, I knew you would read ahead some time or later."

"But I didn't!" She protested. "I only glanced at a small part."

"You should let her have her fun." He said.

"But, Cloud… he's the only friend I have from my childhood… I…"

"Don't be so selfish, Tifa." He instantly regretted his words.

"Selfish?" She hissed and turned to face him. "How can I be selfish? I've known him for so long and now, she just waltzes into his live and takes him from me? And your calling me selfish?"

"Tifa…"

"You're such a cold-hearted bastard that you wouldn't even care if I dropped dead right in front of you!"

'Yes, I would…' he silently protested.

"You wouldn't care at all!" She continued. "You'll probably lock yourself up in that god-dammed coffin for the rest of your life after this! You _enjoy_ watching me suffer, don't you!"

He grabbed her by her arm and led her into her room.

"Let go of me!" She shouted.

He closed the door.

"She will die." Vincent stated simply.

Tifa shut up. She looked at him, fear growing in her eyes.

"Y…You're kidding right?"

"No. This will happen soon. Now, Tifa. I shall give you a choice. Either I will try to do something to save Aeris, thus saving one of your 'sisters' and letting Cloud stay with her. Or I shall do nothing, and thus, she will die and later you could get together with Cloud and possibly improve your relationship. Give me your answer before we reach the City of the Ancients."

He turned to leave, leaving Tifa standing there with her mouth slightly open and tears streaming down her eyes. She suddenly ran up to his and wrapped her arms around his waist. She pressed her tear-streaked face to his cape. She felt him tense up, but then relax slightly.

"I'm sorry I said all those horrible things…" she whispered. "You must hate me now…"

"No, I do not. I understand how you feel." He turned and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Take your time and make the right decision."

"Vincent…" she called out.

"Yes?"

"Please…" she squeezed her eyes shut and said, "Save her…"

He stared at her.

"You should think about it a bit…"

"No… I can't bear losing someone else I love…"

"Tifa…"

"The same thing happened to my parents, you know? My… my father could have been stopped… he stood no chance…" she gave a shaky, mirthless laugh.

"That's enough, Tifa. You should not discuss such things."

"Sorry, Vincent…"

He bid her goodnight and walked back into his room. Tifa lay down on the bed, mind in a jumble. The next day, they had left Gold Saucer in a hurry. Apparently, Cait Sith had stolen the keystone and had given it to Tseng. Barret was furious and it took everything that Cloud and Cid had to restrain him from ripping the toy into tiny pieces.

(End Flashback)

They now entered the Temple, to find Tseng injured severely. He staggered up to them. Blood dripped onto the stone floor. Aeris looked pale at the sight.

"Here. Take it. You need to put it in the slot to get in…"

"Thank you." Cloud walked up to the alter with Aeris and Nanaki.

He put the keystone in and they vanished through the floor. The keystone fell out with a clunk and Cid picked it up. He, Barret, and Cait Sith went through as well. All that was left was Yuffie, Vincent, Tifa, and Tseng. Vincent strode over to Tseng.

"Do you have any final words?"

"Yeah… bury me outside of this place will ya? This temple is so wonderful… yet so evil… Kinda reminds me of Midgar… Tell Elena… if you see her again… that I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye… and tell her… I… I would've loved to take her to dinner sometime… heh… too bad I can't…" his body was racked with a fit of coughing. "Well, my time's up… I wonder how it'll be… going to live in Lifestream…"

He closed his eyes and his last breath escaped from his lips. Tifa and Yuffie looked on the verge of tears. Vincent walked outside and dug a small grave. He then carried Tseng's body to it and buried it. He picked up a large stone, took out a knife, and carved into it the following.

Tseng 

Leader of the Turks.

May your memory

Live on in the minds

Of your friends.

Rest in Peace.

He stood up after a whispered prayer. They started back to the temple. It began to shake and they stopped. As they watched, the members of AVALANCHE except Cait Sith dash out of the temple.

"What's happening!" Vincent yelled over the noise.

"Cait Sith sacrificed his body so he could get us the Black Materia!" Cloud explained.

The temple shrank, bit by bit. They neared the pit once it had stopped shaking. The small black orb hovered near the bottom. Cloud leapt down to retrieve it. As he grabbed it, Sephiroth appeared.

"Give it to me."

Cloud struggled for a minute before obeying. Aeris leapt down.

"Cloud! Stop!"

He handed the black materia over and Sephiroth flew off. He then whirled on Aeris, striking out… only to hit Vincent. He glared at him, blocking every single one of Cloud's furious flails. Cloud collapsed after several more strikes.

"Thank you, Vincent…" Aeris said in a small voice.

He grabbed Cloud and leapt back up out of the hole. Tifa helped Aeris out.

"You okay?" Aeris nodded.

They left the temple and the grave. On the plane, they headed to Gongaga, where they left Cloud. Late that night, Vincent sat on the roof, staring at the stars. Aeris came out of the inn. She glanced around. It was quite obvious she was doing something she shouldn't. He leapt down behind her.

"What are you doing?"

She jumped and turned around.

"V-Vincent…"

"Where are you going?"

"N…Nowhere, why?"

"Aeris, you shouldn't lie."

"And you shouldn't butt into things not concerning you!"

"It would be a shame to lose you. You know how much Cloud loves you."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No. I'm merely implying that you should not risk your life."

"I have to do this, Vincent."

"At least let us help."

"No. I cannot let you guys get hurt because of me."

"Aeris…"

"Sorry, Vincent."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, your not. Stop!"

Vincent struggled against the spell as it consumed him. She gave him a small smile and left. The next morning, Tifa went outside to see Vincent standing there.

"Vincent? Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Aeris left. She cast this spell on me… normally I could break it, but her magic is stronger because she's a Cetra…"

"Esuna." Tifa said.

Vincent stretched as his limbs were released from the spell.

"We have to go to the City of the Ancients." Vincent said.

The team packed up and left Gongaga. The small plane sped towards the City of the Ancients. They reached the shores of Bone Village.

"We'll have to order a search for it." Cloud explained.

The teams spread out to start searching. After some seconds, there was a huge explosion. The teams started digging and the manager came up to Cloud.

"It will take at least a day."

"Okay."

So AVALANCHE stopped in Bone Village for the night. Tifa found Vincent sitting outside, fingers entwined and face worried.

"What is it?"

"…"

"Vincent?"

"What if we're too late?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind. Get some rest, Tifa."

She glanced at him one last time before going back inside. Cloud opened the box the next day. Inside was intricately carved harp. The strings vibrated slightly with an inner power. The wood was carved beautifully with the finest details. Angel feathers and other holy pictures decorated the length of the harp. He carried it with the care of something glass. They entered the forest. The silence was like a thick blanket over them all. Cloud strummed the harp and it was lifted. They could hear the chirping of birds and the sounds of various animals awakening.

"Let's go."

They ran off through the forest to the City of the Ancients.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I don't understand why we have to hurry." Cloud said as they ran. "Aeris told me she'd be fine."

"Sephiroth might try to harm her while she is doing what ever she went to do. It's just a precaution." Vincent said acting ignorance.

"I suppose…"

They ran into the City. It's pale seashell houses stood out against the watery background. They headed towards the main building in the middle, pausing only momentarily to catch their breath.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Aeris stepped onto the crystal alter. She knelt down on the cold tile and started to pray.

'Holy, hear my plea. The Planet might be in danger from Meteor, especially if Sephiroth is stopped. Please… save us. Though we may be plagued by the cruel and the evil, we have the kind and the caring as well. For all the people of the Planet, please stop Meteor if it is to come.'

She continued to pray. Explaining to Holy about the goodness on the Planet. She continued to pray, unaware of the looming danger above her.

'Heh. Goodbye, Cetra bitch…' Sephiroth smirked and readied his weapon.

Then, with a leap, he descended upon the unsuspecting Ancient, her hands still entwined in prayer. He could almost feel the warm blood splash against his face, the sharp crack of bones, the soft gasp of her last breath… But he did not expect a loud gunshot at the last second. Fired at point blank, the force of the Winchester shattered the masamune and knocked Sephiroth to the side. Vincent then rushed up to him and fired again. His face now resembled ground beef. Aeris had awoken from her prayer at the gunshot. She saw the shattered remains of the masamune and Sephiroth's dead form and put two and two together.

"Vin…cent…" she managed.

Cloud rushed up to help her, but stopped. He clutched his head in agony and then grabbed his sword. He raised it above his head to strike at her.

"Cloud! No!" Vincent shouted.

"Cloud!" Aeris cried, eyes filled with fear.

A quick chop to his shoulder made him release his grip on the sword. He shook his head and his eyes refocused. Tifa stood behind him, fists ready.

"Gods… sorry… I…"

"Couldn't help yourself. Right?" A cold chuckled filled the room.

They all turned to see the corpse of Sephiroth stand. As they watched, his face slowly reformed, first the layers of bone and cartilage, then the muscle, and finally the skin and hair. It was a sickening sight as he grinned at them, fully healed. He picked up the broken shard of his masamune. Then, he suddenly turned. With a cry, he flung the sword at Aeris. At first she looked confused, staring at the broken sword, buried to the hilt. She coughed, slightly, a spatter of blood appearing on the blade. And, then she fell. It seemed to last a life time. Blood fell like rain as her eyes slowly dulled. Sephiroth smirked as she fell.

"Bastard!" Vincent shouted, whirling and lunging at Sephiroth.

Of course, if he had been thinking rationally, he wouldn't have done such and act. But, truth is, he wasn't. He had only caught Sephiroth off guard when he shot him minutes ago. Now, Sephiroth grabbed the tip of the masamune and plunged it into Vincent. He fell in a whirl of noise. Tifa and Yuffie were screaming. Cloud was shouting as he tried to keep Aeris alive after pulling the blade out. Cid was cussing. Nanaki was roaring. Barret was firing.

"Nice try, Valentine." He muttered before pulling the tip out.

Vincent collapsed onto his knees, clutching his stomach, which was now bleeding profusely.

"You're nothing but a puppet…" he whispered to Cloud and then flew off, leaving behind Jenova LIFE.

It loomed over them, screeching and wailing.

"Join me…" it cried.

Vincent, closest to the creature after shooting Sephiroth, was grabbed almost instantly. He tried to transform, but the grip tightened, causing him to cry out in pain as he felt his bones snap and the air pressed out of his lungs. He could hear screams and shouts, but his vision was quickly dimming. And then it was gone, all of a sudden, it didn't hurt anymore. In fact, he felt stronger than ever. He gripped his Winchester tightly and fired at the creature's head. It screeched and dropped him. He saw the others attacking recklessly. The creature's flailing and striking didn't effect them at all. He glanced at Aeris. She lay there, one hand on her staff. Her last gift to them. Great Gospel. There was faint singing in the background and he thought he saw a flurry of white feathers out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned, there was nothing. They defeated the creature just as the limit break wore off. Vincent collapsed onto the ground, broken bones and ribs taking their full effect.

"Vincent!" Tifa yelled and rushed over.

For him, everything was blurry. He could see Tifa trying to heal him, on the verge of tears. He coughed slightly.

"Dammit… I failed again…"

"You did all you could…" Tifa said, starting to cry.

They made a makeshift carrier out of some belts and two branches. That way, they carried Vincent back to one of the houses. Cloud stayed behind and let Aeris float gently to the bottom of the lake. Tifa stayed by his side, drinking ethers and trying to heal him.

"Tifa…"

"Cure 2. W-what?" He could see that she was still crying.

"Get some rest."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. I just need to sleep."

"Alright…"

She climbed into bed with him.

"What are you doing?" He asked, slightly disturbed.

"All the other beds are taken. There's only three, Cait Sith and Nanaki don't need beds." She explained.

"Oh…"

"Vincent…?"

"Yes, Tifa?"

"What's going to happen now…?"

"I don't know." He sighed.

"Good night." Tifa wiped her eyes and turned over.

"Sleep well, Tifa." He muttered.

After some time, her breath evened out. There was movement next to the bed. He watched as Cloud walked outside. Vincent sighed, knowing what Cloud was up to. There was a slight movement as Tifa clutched at him.

"Tifa?" He whispered.

"No… father…" she murmured, silent tears coursing down her cheeks.

"Tifa…? Wake up…" he ushered.

"Why… noo…"

He sat near her and shook her shoulder gently.

"Damn you… Sephiroth… give him back…"

Seeing as she wouldn't wake, he held her as her cried. Her mutterings at her memories continued for a few long minutes. Then she stilled.

"Vincent…" she muttered.

He glanced at her, slightly shocked. But she said no more and slept on, still pressed against him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Me: How was that! Review please… I'll update again once I've written the next chapter… THERE! I finally killed her off! I figured I wasn't gonna make this Cloris! IT'S GONNA BE CLOFFIE! Wow… never done that before… hehe… let's see how it works out!


	7. Condolences

Me: Chapter 6! Geez… this took a long time… I HATE WRITER'S BLOCK! IF IT WAS A TANGIBLE OBJECT, I WOULD STRAP IT TO ALL THE WORLD'S NUKES AND BLOW IT TO KINGDOM COME! THAT WOULD SOLVE TWO OF THE WORLD'S PROMLEMS! NUCLEAR WAR AND WRITER'S BLOCK!

Ahem… here's the story…

Oh yes… to the reviewers: Thanks for the reviews! I'll try to make Tifa a bit more independent! Umm… next chapter… this chapter has already been written… but I promise! NEXT CHAPTER!

**NEW NOTE**: Ah! Sorry! Don't throw things at me! I've been busy and was going to post this edited version! Damn orchestra competitions… Thanks to **Emri** and **xCR1MS0N-T3ARSx** for pointing out mistakes and things I left out! HERE'S THE EDITED VERSION!

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 6 – Condolences

Tifa awoke in a warm and comfortable position. She looked sleepily around. Nobody had awoken yet. She tried to move but found that she couldn't. She found Vincent's arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

"Erm…" she muttered, not really wanting to wake Vincent.

"Yes?" He asked, without opening his eyes.

"Can I… get up…?" she asked, blushing profusely.

"Oh, of course. Sorry." He removed his arm.

"Uh…" Tifa muttered. "Um…"

"You're wondering what happened last night." Vincent commented, almost reading her thoughts.

She looked flustered for a moment.

"Yes…"

"You were having a nightmare…"

"Oh…" she said as the dream was recalled.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Um… I guess… it might help."

She sat back in the bed.

"Well, it was another dream about my father and Nibelheim. Sephiroth was killing people… I can still remember their screams as he burnt the town down. I can't remember much of it… but I remember being scared… I guess I'm just afraid that the same will happen to everyone I love… all my friends… all gone… just like…"

"The only way we'll get revenge is by defeating Sephiroth…"

"You won't tell anyone… right? I… I don't want them to think me weak…"

"Tifa, you're not weak. In fact, you're stronger than most of us. And I would never tell anyone…"

"Thank you, Vincent."

"Did anything else happen?"

She stared at him. What else had she said last night?

"No…" she said tentatively, dancing around the truth.

"Alright." He said, dismissing it.

She got up.

"Well, I'm going to take a shower. Then I have to prepare some food, else they'll starve."

Vincent allowed himself a small smile. He too got out of bed. For once, he decided to cook. He went to the cooking fire and took out a small pan. He began to make breakfast just as several people were starting to awake. Yuffie was first to awake and she walked over to him.

"Oh… you're cooking…" she said quietly.

She had been hit hard by Aeris's death. Aeris had been one of the few who had voted for her staying in the group. He silently handed her some eggs and bacon. She eyed it.

"Why isn't Tifa cooking? Is this safe to eat?"

"Suit yourself." He replied before handing Barret some food as well.

She sniffed at it and took a tentative bite. She continued to eat without a word. Tifa came out of the shower and watched as the rest of the team ate. Vincent handed her a plate.

"This is new…" she commented. "Has anyone seen Cloud?" She asked.

"He went to the lake last night." Vincent replied.

"Oh… well, I'll go take him some food."

He gave no reply so she left. After walking some ways on the winding path, she found Cloud sitting at the water's edge, gazing mournfully into the water.

"Hey… I brought you some food." Tifa said quietly.

"Thanks…" he ate a bit of it. "This is good… did you make it?"

"No, Vincent did."

"Vincent?" Cloud said, a bit surprised.

Tifa nodded and watched the sunlight reflecting off the crystal surface of the water. They sat like that for some time, both caught up in their own thoughts. Then, finally, Cloud spoke.

"Why did she have to go?" He choked out.

"What…?" Tifa asked.

"Why… Why did she die!" He said angrily.

He buried his face in his hands.

"Cloud… some times, the fates of people can't be changed."

"She wasn't meant to die!" He roared.

"Cloud, you wouldn't know."

"But I should've done something!"

"Vincent tried his best yet he failed, too. I guess the gods meant for her to die… Sephiroth's too strong to be fought alone."

He suddenly grabbed her.

"Why? What is he getting out of this! Does he enjoy tormenting me! I refuse to stand by and watch him kill everyone I love!" He shouted. "She had her whole live ahead of her! A life full of happiness!" He added barely above a whisper, "A life with me…"

Tifa sat, slightly shocked at what he just said, but also shocked that she didn't feel all that jealous anymore. She placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"Then we'll fight for her memory. Give her solace by defeating Sephiroth…"

Cloud thought about this for a while. Then he smiled sadly.

"Thank you Tifa. You may go if you wish. I'm sure Vincent is worried. I'll be back in a bit."

Tifa smiled faintly, gave her best friend a hug and left.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Where is he? He said he'd be back…" Tifa said worriedly. "What if he…"

"He'll be fine. I'm sure he's able to fend off any attack." Vincent said.

"Well, we gotta leave!" Cid said impatiently.

"Shut up, old man! Consider his feelings!" Yuffie scolded. "He just lost someone he loved!"

"Sorry…" Cid muttered looking away, for once not arguing.

"I'll go look for him…" Barret said. "In case he really was attacked."

"Ok." Tifa said.

Barret tramped off and the camp was left in silence.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Cloud walked up the path, his mind in turmoil. Pictures of Aeris and her death played over and over in his mind. Sephiroth had whirled and the blade, lodged deep within her chest. Her blood had poured out, refusing any attempt to hold it off. Her last dying words sounded in his mind.

'_Oh, Aeris… I love you so much… please don't go…' _he had said, holding her close.

'_I'm sorry Cloud… I guess I was chasing a memory… don't… don't do the same…' _and with that, she had closed her eyes and fallen silent.

"Yo! Spike!"

Cloud jerked out of his reverie to stare glumly at the tall black man.

"What?"

"You're wanted! That's what! Hurry up!"

"Oh, sorry." He said mutely.

Barret watched as Cloud trudged on.

"It's not your fault, ya know?"

"I know…" he hung his head.

"Yet you still blame yerself?"

"I just… I don't know…"

"Ya know, she was like another daughter to me…"

"But…"

"You ain't the only one who's suffered!" Barret turned to poke Cloud in the chest.

"I know that!" Cloud shouted defensively.

"She sacrificed herself to ensure the safety of everyone on the Planet! Even Shinra! You need to stop moping about an' start thinkin' about others! We'll fight Sephiroth for the sake of her memory! Don' let her death be in vain!"

Cloud paused and looked at Barret. A faint grin ghosted across his face.

"That's what Tifa said."

"An' she's damn right! Come on, Spike. They're waitin'."

With that, Barret lead the way back to camp.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

They broke camp with minimal discussion. Cloud had not confronted anyone about last night's events. The rest of the group started to leave as Cloud stared sorrowfully back at the capital. Vincent lingered behind and waited for him to come. Finally, Cloud turned and trudged back up the trail. Vincent stopped him momentarily.

"I'm sorry I was not able to do anything." He said.

"I'm not blaming you, Vincent." Cloud sighed.

"I sensed it coming, but I was foolish enough not to stay on guard."

"We were all taken by surprise. There was nothing we could do… Maybe… maybe she was supposed to die…" Cloud stared off into the distance.

"If she was, she was willing. She has done a great deed. One that may change the fate of the Planet." Vincent said, not really knowing what happens after the defeat of Sephiroth.

"Hmm…" Cloud agreed silently and continued on.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

They left the City of the Ancients and headed west. The air was cold and crisp during midmorning and several dark clouds rolled in from the east. Vincent called out to the others and they picked up the pace. After about three hours of trekking, they reached the cozy village of Icicle Inn. Cloud had said naught three words since they had left.

"Okay. Let's go."

Now, as the snow began to whirl all around them, AVALANCHE rushed into the nearby inn. They checked into the inn as the blizzard outside began to worsen.

"We'll get fresh snow from this…" the innkeeper said looking out the window.

Cloud walked up to his room and closed the door. That night, they ordered food from a nearby store. The poor kid looked frozen as he held the warm food out to Vincent.

"H-here you a-are, s-sir…"

"Thank you." He said, giving the boy a huge tip.

The group ate their dinner in peaceful silence. Cloud was one of the last to finish and sat at the table for some time. Nanaki approached him and cleared his throat.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm… fine…" he said tentatively.

"I see. Goodnight, Cloud."

"Goodnight…" he suddenly changed his mind. "Wait."

"Yes?"

"When someone dies… where… I mean… how does Lifestream work…?"

"If you're speaking of Aeris, I do not know. She is Cetra and different rules may apply. However, since she is not full Cetra, maybe she will go to Lifestream. She may be reborn from there, but I do not know. It may take years or even centuries."

"Oh…"

"When we face Sephiroth, we will defeat him." Nanaki said. "He has done to much harm to the Planet and us. He will not triumph."

Cloud nodded and headed off into his room.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

They spent several days in Icicle Inn. During this time, they discovered that Ifalno, Aeris's real mother, had lived in a house near the edge of town. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret headed there immediately.

Vincent, Cid, Nanaki, Cait Sith, and Yuffie stayed behind to look around town. There they discovered a map of the surrounding areas, a bar, an item shop, and snowboard rental shop, and a weapon's store. The residents seemed to take the biting cold in their stride and the only complaints they heard were one of a mother who had recently moved into town and the first thing her son did was break his leg snowboarding.

When Cloud's group returned, the news was not happy. He had apparently seen the extent of Hojo's cruelty through the capture of Ifalno and Aeris. He explained that the videos also spoke of a WEAPON. Unsure of what they were, AVALANCHE could only guess at the horrors that awaited them if Meteor was summoned. After all was done, they decided to plan for the next day. Cid sat near the fire smoking his cigarette as the rest of the group filed out.

"Hey, Cloud?" He called out.

"Yes?"

"How're ya doin'?"

"Fine…"

"Bullshit. Look, Cloud. I didn't know Aeris that well, but for the amount of time I did, she was a wonderful person. I know how hard it is to lose a loved one. But, sometimes, you just gotta let go. I really can't help you, none of us can, if you decide to continue mourning. You're our leader and you are what keeps us together. Keep that in mind." For Cid, that was the most profound and thoughtful speech he could come up with.

"Thank you, Cid." Cloud walked out of the room, leaving Cid to finish his smoke.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

In the hallway, Cloud caught the faint whir of gears and looked up as Cait Sith approached him.

"Cloud?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sad, too, for Aeris's loss. Though I may be a robot, but my controller feels that it was his fault."

"It can't be. It's all Hojo's fault. If the freak hadn't manipulated and mutated Sephiroth's DNA so much, Sephiroth might still be sane… and maybe we might have been safer."

"Well, I really wish there was something I could've done to help…"

"None of us could've done anything." Cloud said, patting the cat on the head. "We should just move on and fight in her memory."

Cait Sith smiled.

"So we're going after Sephiroth now?" He said happily.

"Of course." Cloud said.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Yuffie stood outside of Cloud's room, pondering what to do. She stared at the handle, reached out to open it, and then drew back. Her brow wrinkled in frustration and she gave a huff of annoyance. She opened the door and barged right in.

"Hey, Cloud."

"Yuffie…" he nodded.

He was sitting next to the window, cheek pressed against the glass.

"Can I come in?"

"You already are."

"Ah, well… ha…" she closed the door behind her. "Whatcha doing?"

"Nothing…" he continued to stare out at the windy skies.

"Hey, uh… this may not be the right time, but what happened there?"

"What?"

"You tried to uh… you know…"

"I'm not sure." He said. "I heard a voice and then my mind went blank."

"You can fight it off, right?"

"I don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know! It's your mind after all!" She said, slightly angry.

"I… I don't know if I can… I don't want to turn on you all… maybe I should leave…"

She slapped him. He stood, eyes wide and one hand on his cheek.

"Don't you dare say that!" She shouted, tears in her eyes. "Your part of the team! You can't just leave!"

"What if I hurt someone else?" Cloud yelled back. "Tifa! Barret! Vincent! Maybe even you! I…" his voice faltered slightly. "I couldn't live with myself."

"Well, I'm not gonna let you go." She said decisively. "After all, we're friends… right?" She asked tentatively.

Cloud let out a laugh and smiled for real.

"You're gonna use that one on me?"

"Yep!" She smiled, knowing he was already feeling better.

"Thank you… Yuffie…" he smiled as she headed out the door.

Cloud sat at the window, staring at the stars. He sighed. Maybe he could let go.

"I promise you, Aeris…" he whispered into the night. "We'll defeat Sephiroth and save the Planet."

With that, he turned off the light and fell asleep.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Morning arose to a blanket of crystalline snow. The unbroken snow spread as far as the eye could see and a peaceful silence hung in the air.

"Yeah! Snowboarding!" Yuffie ran out of the rental shop as they collected their snowboards.

She grabbed hers, eager to try it out. Tifa approached Cloud.

"Hey! You seem happier today."

"Yes…" he gestured for the attention of the group.

(A/N: This part is happening a bit later… supposed to happen after Aeris's death… but oh well.)

"Everyone, we are going after Sephiroth."

"No shit, Spike!" Cid shouted.

"We may or may not survive the encounter."

A tense silence descended upon the group.

"But, if we are to die, I want us to die fighting!"

Barret, Cait Sith, and Cid cheered.

"And also…" everyone quieted to listen. "I don't want any of you to die by my hand…"

They watched the blonde as he stared at the ground.

"If Sephiroth takes over, I want you to stop me… as the leader of this group, those are my orders."

The team nodded quietly. They started to head to the slopes. A sudden cry rang out as they saw a familiar Turk rush at them. Her mascara was blotted by tears and her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"YOU KILLED TSENG!" She shouted at Cloud.

"I did no such thing!" He protested.

"Then why… why is there a grave!" She screamed, tears spilling over again.

"Sephiroth killed him." He said stonily.

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE HIM! Do you hate the Turks that much!"

"Those who are injured by Sephiroth's sword cannot be healed by magical means. Tseng had lost too much blood. Aeris… She died the same way, too…"

"Oh…" Elena looked ashamed for a second, then glared back at him. "Damn you, Cloud! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess!" She attempted to punch him, but missed, slipped, and rolled down the slopes.

The MPs that were with her chased after her, attempting to catch her before she went over a cliff. A stiff silence hung over the group. Then Cloud spoke.

"We will not stop until Sephiroth is dead."

Everyone shouted an affirmative. With that, they grabbed their snowboards and headed off towards the Gaia Cliffs, and one step closer to Sephiroth.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Me: Eh… sorry for the short ending… This was more of a filler chapter… a bit of Cloffie development. I don't have much time to write… but I am writing…

Just a heads up on the progress of the stories.

I'm about to start the third chapter of **To Win A Million**. Also, I'll be posting the fifth chapter of **The Undead** along with this chapter. As for the next chapter of this story… well, I'll get an inspiration boost soon enough… Now, as for my longest story thus far, **Exile**, I'll get working on that soon enough. Oh yes, **Rewritten**, is almost done for the third chapter! WyvrenWing, if you've been waiting for that, it'll be out soon! Uh… Does anyone even want to read **Tales of the Dead** anymore?

Ah… this is probably somewhere about the middle of the story… so you can anticipate at least six more chapters… yeah… well, review!


	8. Lost and Found

Me: Here's Chapter 7! Once again, thanks to Emri and xCR1MS0N-T3ARSx for reviewing.

NOTE: Be sure to check out the new version of Chapter 6! I added more to the chapter! THREE FULL SCENES! More information and I could actually fit in all the character's thoughts that I wanted!

Note 2: Sorry for the huge delay… Finals, Illness, and writer's block would be my three excuses… but no excuse can really make up for this… hope you like the chapter! Plus the updates of all my other stories!

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 7 – Lost and Found

Snow sprayed out from behind the boards as AVALANCHE raced down the slopes of Icicle Inn. Yuffie cheered as she flipped through the air and landed gracefully on the snow. Not to be outdone, Cloud tried the same, only to crash face first into the snow and tumbling to a halt.

"Nice one, Cloud!" Yuffie laughed as they sped past.

Growling slightly, Cloud raced after them. Not to be outdone, he took a quick detour and ended up in front of them.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Yuffie shouted and attempted to go faster.

They raced on towards the bottom of the slopes, dodging trees and boulders that protruded from the snow. However, joy soon turned to terror as their screams of delight became screams of fear. What used to be solid snow beneath them suddenly turned into air. They found themselves staring at thousands of acres of snowy hills and passages, almost like an ice maze.

"Oh shiiiiiittt…." Cid yelled as he and everyone else tumbled down the near vertical slope, bouncing off in different directions.

Soon, everything disappeared in a whirl of white fading to black.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A faint throbbing woke Vincent as he struggled from the world of unconsciousness.

"Ugh… what happened…?"

'You fell off a cliff. That's what happened. You're lucky to be alive…' "Shit!" He suddenly cursed. "Where's everyone else?" 

'_Tifa fell near you. She's just a ways away.'_

'…**That's not what I meant…'**

'_Drop the act, Vinnie. It's so obvious a blind chocobo could see it.'_

'…**How can a blind chocobo see anything?'**

_'IT'S A FIGURE OF SPEECH!'_

Vincent tuned out Chaos as he slowly got up. He gasped slightly as he saw her lying in a pile of crimson snow.

"Tifa!" He shook her gently, inspecting her for wounds.

He found a deep gash in her arm where a tree branch had apparently whipped past as they fell. Ripping a piece off a spare blanket, he tied a cloth to the wound so as to absorb the blood. She groaned at the pain and slowly opened her eyes.

"Where are we?" She muttered.

"Somewhere. I'm not very sure. Everyone was separated in the fall."

She gasped and sat up, motherly side kicking in.

"They could be injured! We gotta go find them!"

"Alright. Can you walk?"

She stood, testing both ankles.

"Yeah, I don't think I twisted my ankle."

"Let's go then."

They set off into the wilderness filled with reoccurring white trees.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Several hours ago…)

"Ow…" Yuffie muttered unclipping herself from the parachute.

When the rentals owner had offered parachutes, the others had declined, thinking it a waste of money. Though it didn't help much, since it had been cut up by the trees, it did slow her descent. She sat up looking around. All she could see were trees and bushes.

"Hello?" She called out. "Cloud? Tifa? Vinnie? Cid? Barret? Red?"

All that she heard was her own voice echoing around in the eerie silence.

"Cait?" She shouted, hopeful that the last member of AVALANCHE would hear.

Still, all she got was her own voice.

"W…where is everyone…?" She muttered, starting to wander.

After about an hour of wandering in the general direction of the group, she sat down.

"Everyone's… gone?" She muttered dejectedly. "I… I'm all alone…"

She tried to conjure up an image of the group.

"D… Don't leave m-me here…" she shivered in the cold.

Sniffling slightly, she wrapped herself in a spare blanket from her pack. Looking around, she found a candy bar in her pack. Due to the weight, she had brought very little with her. She ate the bar, and then, feeling warm from the blanket and her winter clothes, slowly drifted off to sleep.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I haven't seen anyone." Tifa commented. "Maybe they're still unconscious?"

"It's a possibility." Vincent replied, scanning the white horizon once again.

"I hope they're alri…" Tifa begin before letting out a yelp as she tripped over something.

Vincent turned to see what she had tripped over and say a gloved paw clutching Tifa's ankle.

"Ow…" Tifa said, turning to look as well. "Cait!" She gasped and started to dig.

Vincent helped a bit by digging with his good hand. Finally, after several minutes they uncovered the cat.

"Whew…" he said. "I thought I was a goner there… my mog froze over!"

They continued to dig and eventually uncovered the frozen mog.

"It'll repair itself in a bit…" Cait said.

"How'd you end up down there?" Tifa asked.

"Well, when we were falling, we landed in a patch of soft snow. The mog froze from the sudden temperature change and the winds covered us up before I could get out. I dug for a bit and then heard footsteps. I felt someone step past and grabbed their foot. That's how you guys found me."

"Once your mog defrosts, you can help search for the others. We haven't seen them and don't know where they went." Vincent explained.

They followed the grove of trees until they got to an open field. In the distance, they could see a cozy house near the base of the mountain.

"Let's head over there for now." Vincent said.

The small group trudged forward, battling fierce winds and snow until they reached the warm cabin. Vincent knocked on the door.

"Coming!" A voice called out from inside."

In moments, the door was opened by an elderly man. He smiled at them.

"Come on in! I'm Joseph Holzoff, keeper of this checkpoint. Are you here to climb the mountain?"

"Sort of." Tifa explained. "We still need to find our companions. They're still lost out there somewhere."

The Mr. Holzoff stared outside.

"Ah. You'd better take some supplies then." He handed them some blankets. "They might be freezing and unable to move. Hurry! The snows don't stop for anyone!"

The group rushed out.

"Tifa go that way." Vincent said, taking control of the situation. "Cait, stay in here until your mog is ready. Then go that way." He gestured in another direction. "I'm going this way. Meet back here if you need help or find someone."

"Okay." Tifa and Cait said.

They ran off in opposite directions, back into the wintry forest.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hellooooo?" Tifa's voice stirred Yuffie out of her slumber.

She blinked blearily in the direction of Tifa's voice.

"Ti…fa…?"

"Is anyone out there?" Tifa continued to call out.

"I'm… here…" Yuffie felt the overpowering urge to close her eyes again.

"Barret? Cid? Cloud? Nanaki? Yuffie? Can you here me?"

'I have to get her attention… before I fall asleep…' Yuffie thought sleepily.

She touched one of the orbs on her bangle. A faint electricity ran through her finger as she touched her Lightning materia orb.

"B…Bolt…" she muttered.

A weak spark shot forward from the orb to Tifa. As it hit her, she jumped slightly. Tifa turned and looked in the direction of the bolt. All she saw was the usual color of brown from the trees and white from the snow. Just as she was about to turn away, she saw a bit of the white shift. Upon closer inspection, she saw as huddled up figure wrapped in a nearly frozen blanket.

"Ohmigod!" Tifa shouted, rushing over. "Yuffie! Is that you?"

Her skin was close to the color of snow and her lips were tinged with blue. The blanket was so frozen over that it shattered when Tifa pulled on it. She quickly wrapped Yuffie in a warm blanket.

"Come on, Yuffie. Stay awake!" Tifa began dragging Yuffie back to the house.

She turned to start walking back when everything began to turn white, starting in the distance and getting closer.

"Crap!" Tifa muttered. "White-out…"

She changed course, steering Yuffie into the shelter of a nearby alcove. She sat down next to Yuffie, who was curled in the blanket.

"Looks like we're gonna be here for a while…"

Yuffie nodded slightly, but said nothing else. Tifa looked concernedly at her.

"Are you alright? You're quiet." Tifa commented.

Still Yuffie said nothing. She just kept staring into the distance.

"What's wrong?" Tifa asked quietly.

"I… you guys wouldn't leave me here… would you?"

Tifa stared, slightly taken aback by the strange question.

"Why would you ask such a thing?"

"I dunno… it just seems that… everyone's so indifferent about my being here… It's as if this journey wouldn't be any different without me…"

"Nonsense, Yuffie. You cheer us up when you can. Believe me, we all care about you."

"Even Cloud…?" She asked tentatively.

Tifa thought for a bit before answering.

"Especially Cloud. He's the leader. He cares about all of us."

They sat in silence for some time. Yuffie wrapped the blanket around her tightly. Then, out of the blue, she asked another question.

"Do you think Cloud likes me?" Yuffie looked up at Tifa.

Tifa paused thinking.

"I don't know." She finally answered.

"He misses Aeris a lot doesn't he?"

"Yeah." Tifa agreed.

"You think I'd… you know… have a chance?" Yuffie asked hopefully.

"Maybe. I'm sure he'll see the truth soon."

"So where is everybody else?"

"I don't know. Vincent went off to look for the others and I found you. Cait might have thawed his mog by now and could be out there too."

"Can we go yet?"

"No. It's still a white-out outside."

Yuffie huffed and put her head back on her knees.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Later)

"Good thing the white-out didn't last too long. Otherwise, you might've been lost."

Vincent stared down at Barret and Cid, the two of whom he had dragged in just minutes earlier with the help of Nanaki. He didn't bother mention the fact that he had turned into Galian, who's sharp senses could pinpoint living beings.

"Where's that young lady you were with?"

"She's still out there." Vincent deadpanned, staring out the window.

"Will she be okay?" Nanaki asked, padding across the room.

"She will be fine." Vincent said firmly. "The only question now is where is our leader."

"If he's still out there, we have to find him fast!" Mr. Holzoff said worriedly. "Night time drops to around negative thirty."

"Can you help?" Vincent asked Nanaki, since Cait Sith's mog had apparently refused to restart.

"Sure."

The two of them rushed out into the cold once more to search for their leader.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Earlier)

"Looks like it's clearing up." Tifa said looking outside.

"Can we go now?" Yuffie complained.

"Yeah, let's go. I wonder who's been found."

They headed back to the cabin. In about an hour, they re-entered the house. Mr. Holzoff greeted them warmly.

"How are you two. You must be hungry. I made soup for you guys." He led them inside.

"Where's Vincent? Did he find anyone?" Tifa asked.

"He and a strange cat creature found these two men. They returned just fifteen minutes ago." He gestured at Cid and Barret.

"Where are they now?"

"They left to search for Cloud." Cait Sith said, hopping into the room without his mog. "He's still out there somewhere."

"WHAT!" Yuffie exclaimed, leaping up. "We gotta find him!"

"You're not going anywhere." Tifa said, pushing her back down. "I'll go look for him."

"But, Tifa…"

Tifa glared at Yuffie and she shut up and sat back down.

"Eat some soup." Tifa said before rushing outside as well.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Vincent rushed back out of the east woods as Nanaki ran out of the west.

"Anything?" Vincent asked.

"Nothing. Snow's washed away all the scents. Can't smell anything but snow out there."

"Dammit…" Vincent muttered. "We have to keep trying."

"Guys!" Cait Sith ran outside. "Tifa went to look for Cloud, and Mr. Holzoff says the storms gonna hit any moment now!"

"Shit!" Vincent started to run back into the woods.

A gust of wind blew him back. Every time they tried to leave the cabin, the winds seemed to intensify. It was almost as if the Gods were trying to hinder the search.

"It's the Snow's Blizzard…" Mr. Holzoff said grimly.

"What?" Vincent looked over.

"Legend has it, that long ago, a lady named Snow living in Icicle Inn fell in love with a famous fighter of the Shinra army, staying at the inn due to heavy snows. She spoke to him on many occasions and gradually got to know him. He professed his love to her and she returned it passionately. However, the man was drafted away into a war. He promised to marry her upon returning and gave her a beautiful red orb ring as an engagement ring. He never returned. She waited for him every day outside." Mr. Holzoff sighed. "As legend has it, she grew cold and distant from friends and family, constantly waiting for her lover to return. Five years later, the Shinra army finally decided to sent the letter saying he was killed by a black dragon in North Crater. I'm guessing something just snapped within her. She murdered everyone in the room and left, hiding deep within the caves of these mountains."

"And this has to do with the storm how?" Cait Sith asked.

"Simple. She's the one controlling the winds. It happens once every two weeks or so."

"So. All we have to do is kill her then." Vincent said quietly.

Everyone's attention snapped towards him.

"Vince…" Cid muttered. "She's just sad. There's no need to kill her…"

"Then I'll go talk to her."

"How?" Mr. Holzoff seemed annoyed that they weren't taking his warnings seriously.

"I'll be back." Vincent said, walking off into the night.

"Wait!" Mr. Holzoff looked at the Winchester Vincent had left behind. "You'll need a weapon if you're gonna stand a chance!"

"No need gramps." Cid said.

"What?" Mr. Holzoff asked, flabbergasted.

"Sometimes, the most obvious is the most hidden." Nanaki said.

"I don't understand."

Cid simply held up his left hand.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Cloud! Where are you!" Tifa called out into the night.

The winds blasted against her, forcing her to duck behind a boulder for shelter.

'This is bad…' she thought to herself. 'If this keeps going, he'll die of hypothermia!'

She forced herself to run against the wind.

'It's too dark to see anything! …But I can't turn back! He's my friend!'

Suddenly, her PHS went off. She jumped at the loud jangle of the phone.

"Yes?" She said into the phone.

"Tifa! Did you find him yet?" Yuffie's concerned voice rang through the speaker.

"No… it's too dark."

"Well, Vinnie went to 'talk' to the one possible for causing this storm. Maybe you'll have better luck."

"Probably."

"Don't die, Tifa. Vinnie seems very worried."

"I know."

Yuffie hung up as did Tifa.

'Damn… a call at a time like this…' Tifa thought, anxiety rising. 'Wait a minute… call!'

She punched in Cloud's number.

"Come on…" she muttered, listening intently through the howling of the wind.

Faintly, in the distance, she heard Cloud's ring tone. She smiled grimly.

"Don't die on me, Cloud!" She said, starting to run in his direction.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Galian's powerful legs shoved against the ground as he leapt forward again, battling against the winds that seemed to be getting stronger with each leap. With a growl, Galian finally jumped into a cave and transformed back into Vincent.

"Hello?" Vincent called out. "Is anyone there?"

A gust of frigid wind rushed pass him.

"Go away." A voice said, quiet but audible in the silent cavern. "I don't want to see anyone."

"Snow?" Vincent queried.

There was a shifting in behind a rock. A lady with cold blue eyes and wrapped in a thin shawl came out to stare at Vincent. Several moments passed and then Snow suddenly spoke up.

"A…Alex!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Me: Well! I'm starting to get back into this writing! I kinda liked this last myths and legend part I put in! Hope you guys stay with this story! I swear I'll update this story soon! I'm already typing the next chapter! REVIEW PLEASE!

NOTE TO READERS: I will start Nosferatu's Keeper after Remembrance is completed! I'm already planning out several chapters! If anyone can help me beta the chapters to make sure I'm not going too fast, that would be appreciated.


	9. A Reason to Live

Me: Hey! Another Chapter! Thanks to xCR1MS0N-T3ARSx, and those other people who reviewed during my absence from FanFiction, for the reviews.

Disclaimer: Hey… I haven't done these for a while… Here goes. NOPE! DON'T OWN ANYTHING BUT THE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS!

Note: Holy fuck… I haven't posted anything for over year… but inspirations coming back with help from my PS2 :) so hang in there. More will come.

Note 2 (08-14-08): Wow… even though I finished typing this chapter, I never uploaded it… as for the other stories… well I seem to just keep working on Nosferatu's Keeper as of late, Exile is going slowly, not sure what to do… I think I'm gonna replay FFVII again…

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 8 – A Reason to Live

Vincent hesitated slightly. Who was she talking about? Alex… that name rang a bell somewhere.

"Alex… is it really you?" She walked forward hesitantly, almost timidly.

"No…" Vincent shook his head.

She stopped and took a step back, glaring at him.

"Then who are you?" She demanded, voice getting harsh and frigid again.

"I… My name is Vincent Valentine."

"Valentine…" she paused again. "Are you… his brother?"

"Who?" Vincent thought hard.

He was sure he had heard the name somewhere. Then it struck him. A small piece of his child hood, coming back from tidal waves of memories.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_He watched his mother struggle to sit up in the tiny bed. The house was cold and they had long ran out of firewood._

"_Vincent, you're going to become a handsome young man like your father was." His mother had said kindly._

"_I don't want to be like him! He's a coward!"_

"_Vincent… he's not… It's not like that…"_

"_I don't care! He left mother and ran off."_

"_Vincent…"_

"_I hate him! Why did he have to leave?!"_

"_I don't know, Vincent…" his mother cried, hugging him close._

"_I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry…"_

"_It's alright Vincent. I still love you."_

"_Mother?"_

"_Yes?"_

_"What was he really like?"_

"_He… he was a brave man. He wouldn't have died a coward. Shinra, it's ruining people's lives… I wish that someone would do something about them…"_

_She coughed, though she tried to hide it._

"_Mother! You're ill. You should rest."_

"_I'll be fine…" another fit wracked her frail body._

_Flecks of red escaped from her fingers._

"_Mother!"_

"_I'll be fine… I…" she clutched her heart, coughing violently this time._

"_Please lie down!"_

_"It's okay… I haven't long anyway…" she continued to gasp for breath._

"_No… please! You have to get better."_

_She smiled sadly at him._

"_Remember me always… I'll always be in your heart."_

"_Mother… no…"_

"_Please… try to forgive him… it's not his fault…"_

"_But… he left…"_

"_He always said… there was another…"_

"_He…"_

"_Please… forgive him…"_

_With that, she collapsed on the bed, breath slowly dying away._

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I… I am… his son…" Vincent said quietly.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"CLOUD! WHERE ARE YOU!" Tifa called in vain, her voice being lost in the howling of the wind.

'Forget Cloud… if this goes on, I might be in trouble too!' Tifa thought as she leaned against a tree to prevent from being blown back by the wind.

She dialed Cloud's PHS again, listening for the ring. This time, it was closer than last time she checked. She continued to follow the noise.

"Stupid choco… why don't you answer me?!" She asked to no one in particular.

Tifa looked around in hopelessness, trying to decide which way to turn and which way would lead her to Cloud. She called yet again and found that the sound was right behind her. She turned… and tripped.

"Dammit… why do I keep tripping over things?!" She grumbled as she got up.

A slight groan could be heard as the ground gave just a little.

"Cloud?" She gasped and started digging.

Digging revealed a half-frozen Cloud, hair and clothes both frozen. His eyes were half open as his body struggled to stay alive.

"Fire!" Tifa cast a weak spell, melting the ice around him. "Stay awake! There's too many people counting on you!"

She managed to drag him to one of the many caves that dotted the mountainside. Inside, she made a quick fire out of some small shrubs that were only slightly frozen by the storm. Piling rocks around the fire, she heated the rocks as well, allowing them to absorb the heat. The room warmed slowly as the ice melted off of Cloud's form. She watched as the blonde man shivered slightly, nodding off to sleep.

"Cloud!" She shouted.

He jerked, looking around frantically.

"Wha… what happened?" He asked confused at his surroundings.

"Hush. You're suffering from hypothermia." Tifa dug around in her pack and pulled out a water bottle and a pot.

She poured the water into the pot and began to warm it up.

"You need to drink something."

"Alright…" he muttered, huddling in the blanket she had brought with her.

They sat in silence as the winds howled outside, just barely brushing the entrance of the cave and making the fire sputter only slightly. Finally, Cloud spoke up.

"Why did you come looking for me?" He asked quietly.

"What? What kind of question is that? Did you hit your head too hard?" Tifa laughed slightly. "You're our leader. Of course we need you with us!"

"But… what if someone else dies… all because of me?"

"Cloud, you own your own body. You control your own mind. All you have to do is concentrate and you can fight him off."

"But… what if it's not my body…? What if…" he looked at her. "What if I'm not who I think I am?"

Tifa sighed.

"Then we'll all help you find who you are. But for now, you're still Cloud, the boy I knew when I was a child."

Small bubbles began to rise from the bottom of the pot. Tifa took the pot and poured the water into a small cup. She handed it to Cloud.

"Drink."

"Thanks."

He sipped at the warm liquid, warmth quickly spreading throughout his body. Tifa leaned against the wall.

"And plus, if you never came back, I think some of us would be heartbroken."

"Like who?" Cloud looked up, confused.

Tifa laughed lightly and closed her eyes. Cloud was clueless as always.

"Maybe you should observe your surroundings more carefully." She said cryptically.

"Anyway, you should be fine now. Drink the rest of that and rest for a while. The storm doesn't seem to want to let up."

Cloud nodded and drank the rest of the water. He leaned back against the wall and drifted off to sleep, all the while thinking about what Tifa had said.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"You're WHAT?!" She screamed.

Hail pelted Vincent as he hid behind a rock for shelter.

"How DARE he! That bastard! And YOU! You DARE show your face HERE!" She shouted, wind howling around the cavern, magnifying her voice.

'Damn… she's not listening…'

'What do I do then? If it were that easy, I would bring her to my father, but he's dead.'

'I don't care! Do something! Her voice is giving me a headache!'

Vincent growled slightly and darted out from behind the boulder. He dodged icicles thrown at him in fury. He wrapped his claw around her neck, tips pressed against her throat.

"Don't move. Stop this blizzard or I will be forced to kill you…" he said in a deadly quiet.

The winds calmed down instantly. He looked down at the lady.

"He promised… he promised me he would come back…" she sobbed quietly.

"I know…" Vincent said quietly.

He released her and led her over to a step to sit down. Vincent saw now that it had been a wise choice not to kill her. She, like Cid had said, was indeed lonely. The madness was dying from her eyes as the storm cleared.

"What was he like?" She asked suddenly.

Vincent paused.

"I don't know."

"How do you not know?" She asked, annoyed. "He was your father, was he not?"

"He…" Vincent sighed. "He left when I was old enough to take care of my mother."

"Did he ever say why…?" She asked slowly.

"No. But my mother told me he had always spoke of another. Someone he loved dearly."

"Then… Then what happened?! Why did I never hear from him?" She cried out.

"I do not know. Besides, it has been many years... I expect it's been almost sixty years since his promise to you. He might have died during the journey. Or maybe he died in these mountains due to the cold. You constantly caused those blizzards, right?"

"I…" she stopped, realizing the truth in his words. "What am I supposed to do right now?"

Vincent stayed silent for a while.

"Live." He finally answered. "Live for the sake of Alex."

She nodded silently. Then she looked at him.

"Can you do one favor for me?" She asked tentatively.

"What?"

"Kiss me…" she flushed slightly. "I'm sorry if this is a large request, but I…"

"You seek closure from Alex." He finished.

"Yes…" she looked down at her feet.

Vincent held her closely and complied with her request. Her lips were still cold from the many years living in the mountain. What he did not expect was a sudden voice in the small cavern.

"Vincent!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

(Moments ago…)

Tifa stirred as she felt the weather change.

"Cloud… I think the blizzard is over."

He groaned and sat up.

"Really…?" He muttered blearily.

"Yeah. Let's head back."

"Alright."

They headed out of the alcove and started walking. She heard a voice in the distance, echoing in the caves ahead.

"Live. Live for the sake of Alex."

'Vincent?' Tifa thought as she walked towards the source of the sound.

"Tifa… where are we going?" Cloud asked.

"Hold on…" she told him.

She entered the cavern just as she heard Vincent speak again.

"You seek closure from Alex."

A woman's voice sounded, affirming his statement. Tifa turned to look to see Vincent kissing another woman.

"Vincent!" She gasped.

He looked up sharply.

"Tifa…" he said softly.

The woman looked up as well.

"I see you already have a lover…" she said with a sad smile. "I hope nothing ill happens to you two."

The woman turned back to Vincent, handing him something.

"Your father left this with me…" she gazed longingly at the item. "I… I have no more use for it…"

With this, she left the cave.

"Who was she, Vincent?" Tifa asked, approaching him.

She wasn't sure what she was feeling. It felt like a bit of jealousy mixed with curiosity.

"She was my father's first lover. He left me and my mother to find her, but died along the way." He explained carefully. "That was Snow. She was responsible for the blizzard."

"And that kiss…?" She stared at him.

"Closure. She had been waiting for him for almost sixty years."

Tifa gasped slightly.

"But… shouldn't she be…"

"Dead? Maybe… I think her desire kept her alive, albeit barely."

"Oh… What did she give you?"

Vincent looked down at the ring.

"Her promise ring. My father gave it to her before leaving for a war."

"But this is…" she looked at the orb.

"Materia, yes." He said, looking name scrawled on the side of the orb. "Alexander. A summon."

"A lasting memory of her lover." She said quietly, fully understanding the previous events.

Cloud came up beside them.

"Can someone explain what's going on?" He asked, confused.

"It doesn't matter." Vincent said. "Let's go back. I'm sure Yuffie's waiting for you."

"Wha…"

Tifa laughed slightly.

"Poor Cloud. He's so confused. When I told him he had a secret admirer, he couldn't figure out who it was…"

"Amazing, I would've thought he could use process of elimination, seeing as there are only two women in our group." Vincent deadpanned.

"Hey! Stop acting like I'm not here!" Cloud said indignantly.

Tifa laughed loudly at this as they walked back to Mr. Holzoff's cabin.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Cloud!" Yuffie cried happily as they returned to the cabin late at night.

"Hey." He smiled back slightly.

Mr. Holzoff came up to Vincent.

"Did you find her?" He asked, looking at the man.

"Yes." Vincent replied in monotone.

"And…" Mr. Holzoff looked at him expectantly.

"She has made amends. I believe she will head back to town soon"

"I see. So everything turned out for the better?" He asked.

Vincent nodded and turned back to the group.

"We should leave soon. The Reunion is beginning in two or three days."

"You can follow the markers I set with my friend up the mountain." Mr. Holzoff said. "Just be sure to be careful. Strange things happen in those mountains."

"We'll head out tomorrow." Cloud said, looking at the group. "We're heading after Sephiroth. Let's rest. Everyone's had a rough day."

The group filed out of the room, leaving Cloud and Yuffie, who stayed behind.

"Hey, Cloud?" She called out tentatively.

"Yes, Yuffie?"

"I'm glad your okay." She said and left.

Cloud smiled slightly before heading to bed. Perhaps he would find a reason to live yet.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The mountain loomed overhead, the wind, though weaker, still howled fiercely as snow flew across their faces. Mr. Holzoff looked up at the mountain, remembering the markers and what had happened as he and his friend had set them. The ropes had weakened due to the cold and were more brittle. The rock wall was hard to chip and get proper gripping in. One small mistake and they were hanging by a thread. His friend had sacrificed his life so that others would have a safe journey up to the top. He prayed silently that these young adventurers would make it through.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Me: Haha… I don't even remember if I had planned out Vincent's father's name to be Alex after the summon, or if it was pure coincidence… all I know was I think that worked out perfectly… maybe I'm just a genius! Oh well. Review.


	10. ChaosGuilt

Me: Wow… another chapter. Yes, I am alive but I have little time to write now… so little inspiration… I wonder if it will ever pass.

Note (4/4/09): Ah hahaha… I was just rereading some of the chapters and I realized Tifa uses Esuna in chapter 5… if anyone cares, really it should've been despell or something along those lines… esuna's from FFVIII isn't it… oh well. Who actually noticed this… be honest :/

Note (10/16/11): It has been a while. I do want to try to finish these stories. I reread my own writings and found several parts I wish I could've done better, but I'm not gonna worry about them at this point. Hopefully, my writing is better nowadays.

Note (06/15/12): New Reviewer. Melody Anna Kamiya Tudor. How on earth you came across this story, I'll never know. Just for you, I'll churn out another chapter even though I'm writing other things now :P

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 9 – Chaos(Guilt)

It had begun. The world was in full panic as the harbinger of death hovered overhead, a bright crimson mass of solid rock, slowly descending onto the Planet.

Meteor was coming.

The scientists had predicted its trajectory. With the Planet's rotation and the speed of Meteor's descent, it would land directly on Midgar. Everyone within roughly a 100 mile radius would be killed without question. The resulting shockwaves and water displacement would bury the rest of the world in earth and water. The Planet would be reduced to nothing more than a desolate rock, hurtling through the cosmos. Humanity's end would be coming soon. Many saw it as inevitable. They simply sat around with any friends and family, waiting for the end. Others took the end very badly.

Riots in the streets were not uncommon; people ran around burning buildings, shops and stores lay in ruin from looting. Children wandered the streets: crying, looting, starving, dying. It seemed parents either left them behind in their attempts to escape the madness, or they had simply succumbed to the violence that was now a part of everyday life. Most people simply didn't care anymore. Selfishness took hold of the hearts of many as they struggled to survive.

In Midgar, the streets were a complete wreck. In a half-hearted attempt to retain some semblance of order, Rufus Shinra had ordered martial law into effect before heading off to Junon. MPs now roamed the streets, abusing their control over the citizens and frequently getting into fights. The residents of upper Midgar were panicking, trying to get into lower Midgar to regain some illusion of safety from Meteor. MPs met these citizens with brute force, warning the civilians that lower Midgar was in complete chaos. Armed guards were stationed at every possible point where citizens might try to escape to lower Midgar. It was speculated that they did this for fun as there was no real purpose to their continued vigil. But as corrupt as the military was, they were certainly not lying.

Lower Midgar was a complete warzone.

Thugs, convicts, SOLDIERs, ex-military, and even peace loving residents clashed every which way, some for entertainment, some out of fear, and most out of a desperate attempt to survive. Those trying to escape the fray fruitlessly tried to escape through the Sector doors, only to find that they were shut and completely impassable. This only heightened the panic as residents dug uselessly at the wall, trying to get out through any means. While a small group of people barricaded themselves in the old church in Sector 5, they knew it was only a matter of time before the violence reached even the confines of their isolated sanctuary. Yes, Midgar was falling apart from the inside out. Even those who only heard about it from refugees knew. Midgar would never be the same again.

Junon fared slightly better than the other cities near the impact site. Being Shinra's new military base, the presence of the President seemed to quell most fighting. People simply stood around, looking hopeful that their President, no matter how corrupt, would find a way to end the mess. Some even attempted to continue their daily routines. They all knew they could only wait and see what would happen next.

And then came the news. Seven days after Meteor appeared and the chaos began, President Rufus Shinra had announced to the terrified masses that they had captured the terrorists responsible for the end of the world. The remaining members of the terrorist group AVALANCHE would be publically executed the next day on the charges of high treason and conspiracy to overthrow the government. This announcement seemed to calm the residents of Junon. With that, people had gathered around outside, craving the empty comfort of the public execution. Fear and anger both forgotten, they stared up at the military building with anticipation and yearning.

…

Tifa turned away from the window, away from the scene below. She closed her eyes in disgust.

"So this is it then?" She muttered quietly.

Barret turned towards her from his place near the window.

"Looks like it." He grunted.

Tifa sighed.

"It can't just end like this… There must be something we can do?"

Barret shrugged. Tifa leaned against the window, eyes still closed. No answers came to mind. In fact, there didn't even seem to be a way out of this room. A small noise caused her to look up. Into the room strode a horribly familiar face. Electric blue eyes shone under a mess of bright orange hair.

"Shinra…"

Rufus Shinra smiled mirthlessly.

"And here I thought our hero would show up to save everyone… But I guess he's still buried under all that rubble…"

Tifa tensed as she vaguely remembered the frantic events of just a week ago.

Finding Sephiroth.

Cloud handing the Black Materia to Sephiroth.

Cloud breaking.

And then the noise.

At that time, Rufus had ordered everyone to evacuate, even AVALANCHE. The creatures that had crawled out of the Planet could only be described as truly monstrous. She had but a glimpse of their power before falling into something hard and losing consciousness.

"What do you want?" Tifa spat.

Rufus looked slightly amused. Heidegger entered the room. He waddled up to Rufus and gave a sloppy salute.

"President Shinra! Preparations for the public execution are complete."

Tifa froze.

"What the f-"

Barret pushed away from the wall.

"Execution? Th' hell would ya get from doin' that!"

Rufus chortled, face never showing amusement.

"People are stupid, Mr. Wallace. Stupid and ignorant of the grand scheme of things."

Rufus walked over to the window.

"Look at them out there. Fighting for what? If Meteor kills us all, everything they do will be meaningless. If it doesn't, can these people truly forget what they've done? No, regardless what happens, they want to be able to blame their situation, their actions, on someone."

Rufus turned.

"And that's where you come in."

"Quit joking around!" Barret yelled, slamming a fist against the wall.

He began advancing on Rufus.

"You think you can just do whatever you want? You little…"

Rufus raised a hand and snapped. Immediately, two armed soldiers that were standing outside the room appeared and their weapons drawn, aimed at Barret. He stopped immediately, teeth still clenched.

"Let's get this formality out of the way, shall we?" Rufus said, walking off.

Heidegger laughed heartily.

"Gya ha ha. No struggling now, time's a wasting!"

Barret and Tifa could do nothing more than obey as their hands were bound. Flanked by armed guards, the two captives were let out of the room, down the steel corridors of the Junon base, and into the execution room. As they entered, Tifa noted that the antechamber had been turned into a mock meeting room. Chairs sat neatly creating a path in the middle of the room. At the front of the room sat a long table with microphones ready for the coming interview. There were not many people in the room. After all, there were not many reporters even willing to cover a story with the current state of society. However, it seemed like some driven souls had mustered up the courage to get the scoop. A couple nondescript figures holding pen and paper, waiting for the main event. This seemed to annoy Barret greatly.

"Th' hell are you lookin' at?"

Unfazed, a nearby reporter began scribbling furiously. A sharp laugh echoed from a corner.

"Kya ha ha! We'll be broadcasting your miserable deaths live on national television, of course!"

The shapely figure of Scarlet, the head of the Weapons Development Department, strode into view. Tifa made a face. The woman always put on way too much makeup. Her smirk was further sharpened by blood red lipstick she wore.

"At least people will have something nice to watch while their world falls to pieces, right?"

"That's messed up…" Barret growled, unable to do much else.

"Scarlet, why a public execution in this day and age?"

A round reporter piped up. He looked as if he was having some trouble writing. Scarlet turned to the round reporter.

"Public support, of course. We need all the support we can get if we are to rid this Planet of the evil in Northern Crater. This little display will calm people down and let them put their trust in Shinra to sort out this mess."

"You bitch…" Tifa muttered.

The reporter waved a pencil.

"And you're okay with telling us this? Wouldn't this harm your PR?"

Scarlet laughed again in that sharp, high-pitched screech. Some people winced slightly.

"So what! There's no one left to turn to! Whether they hate us or not, they will come to realize that WE are the only ones who can fix this! And besides," her face contorted into one of sadistic madness. "Who doesn't like a good execution?"

The reporters seemed to be a bit disturbed, but professionalism caused them to continue taking notes. Scarlet turned to Tifa, smiling happily. She was about to speak when the round reporter spoke again.

"Scarlet, what exactly does this execution have to do with stopping Meteor?"

"Not much, nothing short of nuclear warheads will destroy that lump of rock."

Scarlet shrugged as she said this seemed to be getting impatient.

"But…"

"Enough! We'll start with the girl."

Barret stamped a foot.

"Ya wanna kill someone, kill me first!"

This only seemed to add to Scarlet's mirth.

"Camera, sweetie, make sure you get this tender goodbye! Viewers will eat it up!"

Tifa tensed in fright as two armed soldiers marched up to her, forcing her to walk. They led her to a corner of the room, where a large steel door sat opened. As she was led inside, she looked back at Barret. He had one glimpse of fear in her eyes before she was shoved out of sight.

…

Five hours before the execution, five individuals sat in a small rented room in lower Junon. Due to their rescue of a certain young girl a couple months ago, the folk living in lower Junon were much more willing to overlook their affiliation with the supposed terrorist group AVALANCHE. These five had shown up about three days ago, looking disheveled and tired. When the innkeeper asked what had happened, the tallest man simply stared at him with sad red eyes and shook his head slightly. That had been the end of the discussion. The young girl had asked where Cloud was, but this seemed to only stir painful memories, especially with the teenaged female of the group. Now they sat, planning.

"Let's go over this one last time for good measure." The mog and cat duo know as Cait Sith spoke.

There were no objections.

"Cid and Red will be in charge of taking over the airship. We're gonna need the Highwind if we want to get to Sephiroth in time."

Cid, the former Shinra pilot, and Nanaki, resident of Cosmo Canyon, nodded. Cid would have been easily recognized by the troops who had spent much of their time travelling between Junon and Rocket Town. And Nanaki… well, Nanaki simply stood out. Therefore, their task would be to capture the fastest ship and ensure the team's escape.

"Vincent, Reeve thinks it would be best for you to disguise yourself as a guard. If you have the opportunity, free Barret and Tifa. It will be highly dangerous, Reeve says that Junon has tripled its security personnel since Meteor appeared."

Former ace of the Turks, Vincent Valentine, nodded silently.

"Yuffie…"

The other four turned to look at the young Wutain princess. Her expression was the same as it had been since a week ago. She looked like an empty shell, eyes unfocused, barely alive. At the sound of her name being called, she glanced up. Cait Sith's ears, both pairs, drooped at the expression she wore. However, he pressed on.

"Yuffie will provide backup for Barret and Tifa as they escape. Try to disrupt the flow of guards. Reeve suggests disguising yourself as a reporter. That way, you could be pushy and not draw too much attention."

A barely discernible nod. Cait frowned, but continued.

"As for me, I'll take care of creating a disturbance in the newsroom. Maybe we can stall the execution some if I make a fuss."

No more words were exchanged. One by one, the individuals exited the room, heading off to gather their thoughts before the operation. Only one petite figure remained motionless in a single chair by the wall. Vincent paused by doorway, looking back.

"Yuffie."

She looked up. Upon closer inspection, he noted that her eyes were bloodshot. He had heard her crying herself to sleep the last couple of days. The mental fatigue was beginning to show in her complexion. She had deep bags under her eyes and her lips looked paler than normal. She looked as if she would vanish any moment. Vincent strode over, kneeling in front of her. He looked up into her teary eyes. Raising a hand, he wiped at her eyes gently. Then he spoke in a firm voice.

"Chin up. We need you in this. This operation has to succeed if we are to look for Cloud. He's out there, I'm sure of it."

Upon hearing the name of their former leader, tears began welling up in her eyes again. She sniffed, trying to hold back tears. Her attempts were futile as she gradually broke into sobs. Yuffie clutched the cloaked gunman as if in a desperate attempt to keep herself from falling into madness. Vincent let her cry. He knew she was still blaming herself for the entire incident. He could have easily revealed to her that Cloud would be okay in the end, but he knew that information would only make the situation worse. If her guilt was something so shallow as to be soothed by such fantastical revelations like seeing the future, he may have even thought her shallow and thoughtless. He might even have hated her for it. No, she wept bitter tears because she knew she had failed. She wept because she was losing hope. Like some cursed artifact of legend, the Black Materia had brought the group nothing but misery since it landed in their hands.

…

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to hold onto that thing when we face Sephiroth…"

Tifa looked extremely uncomfortable just standing near the pulsating black orb.

"Maybe you should let someone hold onto it for the time being?"

Vincent did not seem to like the idea, but he voiced no suggestions. The voice of Chaos sounded inside of him.

'_Don't do it… I haven't a clue what would happen to all of us if you take that thing…"_

By 'us', Chaos referred to the beasts that resided within Vincent's soul. Thus, Vincent remained silent. However, no one seemed to want to take the materia. Whether it was by inherent instinct or gut feeling, they all knew that safekeeping the orb would be a harrowing experience. A couple seconds of silence passed as the group considered. Then, a small voice piped up.

"I'll take it."

Yuffie's voice trembled slightly as she tried to mask her fear of the small black orb. Cloud watched her eyes, hesitant. She stared back, a defiant look in her eyes.

"Alright," Cloud sighed. "Take care of it. Don't give it to anyone. I'm counting on you."

With that, the vanguard consisting of Cloud, Tifa, and Barret had set off, leaving the other five behind as a rearguard. Vincent stood near Yuffie, knowing what he should do, but unknowing how to go about it. Even in his memories, he could only recall briefly seeing the figure of Tifa, which he only later came to recognize as Sephiroth, coming back towards the group before being hit by a high level sleep spell. He decided advice might be the best route.

"Yuffie."

His voice broke the silence, causing her to noticeably jump.

"Geez, Vinnie! Don't scare me like that!"

Vincent apologized before continuing.

"Sephiroth is a master of illusions. He may very well try to disguise himself as one of us to get to the Black Materia. Whatever you do, do NOT hand it over, even if Cloud himself asks for it back. Cloud entrusted you to this task because he knows his own mental limitations might very well cause him to lose control of himself."

Yuffie frowned.

"I know! I t-told him I'd do it, so I'm doing it!"

She then countered.

"And besides, how do I know you're not Sephiroth!"

Vincent smiled slightly behind his collar.

"That's more like it."

He began to relax before freezing at a voice coming from behind him.

"Mother says you know some things you shouldn't know, Vincent Valentine…"

Vincent barely had time to move before he felt cold steel enter his body. Though the Masamune only pierced his side, he could still feel a disgusting cold emanating from the famous blade.

"Hmph. Aren't you a sharp one? I'll deal with you in due time. For now, I think it's about time for me to wake up, don't you think?"

Vincent collapsed to his knees.

"Gah…"

The other members whirled, hearing the noise. They saw nothing but Vincent kneeling on the floor, blood seeping from his side.

"Vincent!" Nanaki growled as the metallic scent hit his nostrils.

Vincent could feel the demons of his soul straining at their bonds, trying to help their host. As his consciousness faded, he uttered a warning.

"Yuffie, look out!"

Yuffie barely took a step back before she was suddenly surrounded by a thick green fog.

"What the…"

She froze, not knowing if she was still standing on the precarious path that led to the center of Northern Crater. Looking around, Yuffie could only see endless green. It undulated in a disturbing manner, making her feel violated as the smoke coiled around her body.

Then there was a hand on her shoulder.

Yuffie spun, to face Tifa.

"Teef, what…?"

Tifa looked worried.

"I was calling you for a good ten minutes! I think Sephiroth must have put you in some kind of hypnosis, you weren't even moving!"

Vincent's warning sounded in her head as she took a step back.

"What's going on? Where are the others?"

Tifa put her hands on her hips like she usually did when she was frustrated.

"Vincent wasn't too badly hurt. I think he healed himself up like he normally did. The others already went ahead to help Cloud! I stayed behind when I realized you weren't moving."

"Oh…"

Yuffie paused. Something about that sentence didn't add up, but she couldn't pinpoint the fallacy.

"Hurry! Let's go!"

Tifa ran off. Yuffie hesitated for a moment before running after Tifa. Behind her, Cid shouted her name as Nanaki and Cait Sith tried to heal Vincent, who had fallen unconscious from blood loss. A few minutes and they had reached the large chamber at the heart of Northern Crater. Ice lined the walls, giving the people inside glimpses of wild creatures from the distant past, long frozen. As Yuffie entered, she noticed that Rufus, Scarlet, and Hojo were present as well. She came to a screeching halt as she saw another Tifa at the other side of the cave, a frightened look on her face. That was enough to send her jumping back into a battle crouch. She drew her weapon as the Tifa she had been chasing vanished. Through the disappearing illusion, a figure strode towards her. With his messy blonde hair, he really did have the appearance of a chocobo. Cloud, the leader of their rag-tag group, smiled.

"You did well, Yuffie. I'll take it from here. I think I've finally pushed him out of my mind."

Yuffie did not relax. She held her oversized shuriken in front of her, giving no openings. Cloud looked hurt and confused, as if he had no idea why she would be openly hostile towards him. He held his arms out, imploringly.

"We need to end this here Yuffie. Sephiroth needs to be destroyed."

She shook her head.

"How do I know you're still you!"

Cloud smiled sadly.

"Give me the Black Materia, Yuffie…" Cloud said softly, holding out his hand.

"No! Who are you? You're not Cloud!" She cried out.

She blinked, slightly shocked, as she saw Cloud flicker between another figure.

"S…Sephiroth…!" Yuffie cried out in shock.

Cloud's face had become emotionless. He drew his own weapon.

"I see. He's managed to confuse you as well."

Yuffie froze, unsure what to do. Cloud advanced. She barely had time raise her weapon as Cloud's Enhance Sword crashed into her Razor Ring. She felt the metal break under his blow as she was thrown backwards. Yuffie cried out in pain as she slammed hard against the frozen rock of the cavern. She vaguely heard Tifa screaming in the background. She slid to the floor and remained motionless. As if it had a mind of its own, the Black Materia rolled out of her pocket. Cloud strode over, dropping his blade. As he picked up the small orb, it seemed to glint happily.

"See, that wasn't so hard. Thank you, Yuffie, for bringing this to me."

However, Yuffie could only hear bits and pieces of this. The shock from hitting the wall had left her disoriented. She felt her consciousness slipping. Through blurring vision, she watched as the man she admired spoke to the people in the chamber. He then rose towards the top of the chamber, towards the shadowy figure of a man frozen in the ice. Sephiroth. Yuffie had one thought as she faded into blackness.

She had failed.

…

A/N: Aand that's it for Chapter 9! Leave a review and let me know what you think of my updated writing style! Next chapter will be up when it's up, that's how I've always done it. Hopefully within three years this time!


	11. Escape

Zetsumei: Hm. Let's see how long this one takes.

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 10 – Escape

Few words could describe the smell of Scarlet's gas chamber. It gave off a dank, musty feeling despite being oddly sterile. The air itself was stale and carried a lingering hint of whatever chemicals she used in her executions. The dim lighting gave the pipes protruding from the walls sharp features while obscuring the walls themselves. In the center of this tiny chamber, there was a single chair, bolted to the floor. Tifa guessed it could double as an electric chair if Scarlet so willed it. It was this uncomfortably cold, steel chair in which she was unceremoniously shoved. She growled in anger as the soldier that had accompanied them into the room began locking her shackles.

"Stuck up bitch!" Scarlet slapped Tifa hard across the face.

Following this, Scarlet immediately turned around. She lazily tapped a few buttons on a monitor inside the chamber, setting up both the concentration and duration of the gas to be used. It was during this moment of inattentiveness that something strange happened. Tifa felt a light pinch on her arm. At first she thought the soldier was trying to feel her up before her execution. She glared up angrily only to lock eyes with the soldier. It lasted only half a second. The man's eye color was a warm red.

"Come on! Wouldn't want to get caught up in this place." Scarlet commented lightly as she finished programming the device.

The soldier's movements flowed like water. As soon as Scarlet placed a handle on the door, a small golden key fell from the soldier's hand. It dropped gently onto the soldier's boot, which he tipped onto the floor in front of Tifa just as the door opened. This effect muffled the light clink the key made with the hydraulics of the doorframe. The door shut as quickly as it had been opened. A moment's hesitance as the shock wore off. The gas flow started, kicking her brain into gear. She began to reach for the key.

…

Scarlet and the soldier exited the chamber and the door was shut. She stood before the awaiting media, ready to give her performance. The soldier tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She paused, looking annoyed. He seemed to whisper something to her, to which she nodded nonchalantly. Then, the soldier excused himself from the makeshift interview room. On his way out, he bumped into Barret, stuffing a small key into the gunman's hand. Barret hid his shock well, for soon the soldier had vanished out the door and Scarlet had resumed her speech.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!" Scarlet announced in a loud voice. "I give you, the terrorist's e…"

The rest of her sentence was drowned out by the sudden blare of the klaxons. Several reporters visibly jumped as the loud noise startled everyone in the room. The piercing screech reverberated off the walls of the tiny room, echoing through the halls of the large fortress of Upper Junon.

"Emergency! WEAPON is approaching! Please evacuate the premise and seek shelter! I repeat! WEAPON is approaching! Evacuate immediately!"

There was a rush of feet as most of the reporters fled the room. Only one reporter remained, along with Barret, Scarlet, and two soldiers. Barret remained calm, fidgeting with the lock of his cuffs. The reporter approached Scarlet. She laughed at this.

"Looks like someone has the balls to stay with the story! Such dedication! I like it!"

The man hobbled up to her, in almost a bouncing motion.

"Looks like this execution is our win. How does it feel Scarlet?"

Scarlet was taken aback. She glared at the reporter.

"Huh? What was th…"

A small container suddenly appeared in the reporters hand and, before she could move out of the way, a fine mist enveloped her face.

"You… ugh…"

She fell over backwards.

"Crazy broad. I never did like your way of doing things…" the voice that came through the reporter's mouth was deeper, and slightly obscured by static, as if from a radio.

Barret, in the background, had finally managed to remove the cuffs. Dropping them with a loud clank, he called out to the reporter.

"Hey! Jus' what tha hell's goin' on?"

The reporter tore off his clothes revealing a familiar white mog with a small black cat on top.

"It's me! I've come to save you guys!"

The guards heard the sound of the cuffs striking the steel flooring and saw Scarlet fall.

"Hey!" They charged forward, determined to suppress the prisoners.

One quick battle later and Barret was filled in on the situation. Cait Sith continued his bouncing as he spoke.

"That was a close one! This entire operation depended on Vincent getting in here! I have to say, that was some disguise! Up until he bumped into you, I still wasn't sure if it was him!"

Barret scratched his head, trying to make sense of things.

"So yer sayin' that vampire snuck in, disguised himself as a soldier, and got the keys to free us?"

"Yup!" came the cheerful reply.

"Damn. I always knew he was good… but damn!"

Cait Sith redirected the conversation.

"No time! WEAPON is definitely NOT a distraction! We gotta get out of here!"

Barret jumped.

"Tifa!"

He ran over to the steel door that led to the gas chamber.

"Tifa! You alright?" He pounded on the door.

A faint voice came from inside.

"I'm fine! I turned off the gas, but the door doesn't seem to be opening!"

Barret took a step back.

"Hold on! I'll get you out of there!"

He fired at the door. Unsurprisingly, bullets ricocheted off the door, bouncing off the walls. It was a miracle that Barret didn't get hit. However, several bullets did find themselves embedded in the fluff of the Mog doll.

"Cut that out! We gotta get moving! Cid's getting a ship for us to escape in! We'll find a way to rescue here once we secure an escape route!"

Barret growled, but relented.

"Stay put, Tifa! We'll get you out of there!"

A faint 'ok' was heard as Barret dashed out of the antechamber. Cait Sith filled him in on the rest of the operation as they ran through the halls of the Junon integrated military base. Outside, citizens were running around in a panic, trying to take shelter before the WEAPON arrived. One particularly brave cameraman was following a reporter around, taking in the chaos. The reporter said something to the cameraman and he ran off to the side, filming the oncoming WEAPON for a moment before ducking into a nearby store for cover.

"Hey!" The reporter ran up to Barret and Cait Sith.

"Get out of here! We ain't got no time for yer stupid questions!"

The reporter fumed, throwing down her microphone.

"It's me!" Yuffie cried, as she took off her disguise.

She looked a bit more lively than she did a day ago, most likely due to all the running around she had been doing. Barret looked questioningly at her, noticing the changes in her appearance. Cait Sith couldn't help notice that her eyes were still slightly bloodshot from lack of sleep. But there was no time for questions. Yuffie said nothing more as the three of them ran off towards the airport.

…

After leaving the antechamber of the execution room, Vincent had initially wanted to head towards the airport, where Cid and Nanaki had been headed some thirty minutes prior. However, he had barely gotten to the end of the hallway before klaxons sounded, marking the approach of WEAPON. Several soldiers ran past within seconds of the alarm. One grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing!" The soldier shouted. "Come on! We gotta keep the thing at bay until the cannon is ready!"

Unable to protest for fear of blowing his cover, Vincent could only follow. A standard issue machine rifle was shoved into his hands as he and twenty other soldiers headed out onto the ramparts of Junon, joining the hundred or so soldiers already firing at the approaching creature. The city was now in complete defense mode, with thick metal plating covering the buildings and various cannons at the ready. In the distance, he could see a deep blue streak speeding towards the fortress. Panicking, the soldiers fired blindly. Bullets scattered wildly, few grazing the target, and all completely ineffective. Vincent groaned at their incompetence. If they didn't stop WEAPON here, escaping would be the least of their worries. He shouted at the gathered soldiers.

"Aim for the joints!"

There was a pause as the soldiers stood, confused that a fellow soldier was calling orders. But as the severity of the situation settled in, all questions faded from their minds. They redoubled their attacks, this time aiming properly. While it seemed to be just as ineffective, the beast suddenly reared up out of the water, giving a roar of pain.

"The cannon's almost ready! Hold fast!" A nearby commander shouted.

The beast looked like it was on its way down for another attack. Vincent took aim with his shoddy rifle and, in a split second, let out a quick burst aimed directly at the creature's eye. It let out another roar as it thrashed around. The soldiers continued to attack as they had been directed. Maddened, it reared its head back and fired a concentrated blast of water at the side of the building, leaving a gash in the steel plating of the building. Seeing its attack fail, the WEAPON began charging again for another attack when the Junon cannon discharged at point blank. The resounding shockwave sent many of the soldiers to their knees. Vincent held his ground, staring up at the gargantuan azure beast. Smoke surrounded the site of impact and a similarly smoking cannon groaned as the metal recovered from the blast.

'Shame…' Vincent thought to himself.

He knew the WEAPONs were spawned from the Planet in order to destroy Sephiroth. But it had to be done. Not only were there plenty of innocents in this city, the commandeering of the Highwind depended on the death of this creature. Silently, the mangled corpse of the WEAPON toppled and sank into the ocean depths.

…

Tifa sat around inside the gas chamber. While she was decidedly nervous, there was an almost calming effect that she had escaped the gas and her friends were free. Minutes passed. She could hear the muffled sounds of gunfire coming from outside, though she couldn't tell from which direction it was coming from. Even those muted noises echoed in the enclosed chamber. Tifa paced the room anxiously, awaiting rescue. She had no idea how the others were going to get through this door. Earlier, she had given the cold steel several well placed kicks and, while the door dented slightly, it did not even so much as budge.

"What to do…"

No sooner had she spoken when an explosion threw her against the wall of the gas chamber. Coughing from the dust and debris, she opened her eyes to a brighter room. Looking up, she found a massive gash in the wall letting the sunlight pour in. While she sat there, stunned, she heard a light groan from the other side of the door.

"Ooh… what was that…"

Scarlet appeared to have regained consciousness on the other side of the metal door. Leaning heavily against the wall, Tifa got to her feet. It was a curious dilemma. On one hand, she felt like she should wait, in the event that Barret and the others returned to get her. On the other hand, now that the chamber had been opened up, she could hear the diminishing gunfire outside. Thoughts swirled in her head as she worried for her friends' safety. She decided to move.

"Hey! What's going on in there!"

Scarlet's voice came through the steel door, slightly muted. Tifa ignored her and began climbing the shattered metal debris.

"Hey! Open this door! Let me in!"

Tifa barely paused, despite the puzzling statement.

"First you lock me in this place, now you want me to come out? Make up your mind you dumb blonde…" she muttered to herself.

Tifa got to the edge of the hole in the wall. Staring down, she realized how high she was.

"Whew… that's a drop…"

Undetermined, she took her first shaky step downwards. Fortunately, the side of the building was slightly slanted, allowing her to grip onto the rough metal surface, but only barely. There were noises from up above, but they were tuned out as she focused on the task at hand.

"Aieee!"

A scream shattered her concentration. Looking up, she saw a soldier plummet downwards, disappearing into the ocean below. Clearly the metal surface was not as easy to climb as she made it seem. In response, she pressed closer to the building, hands tightening on what meager ledges she could find. Body shaking from adrenaline, she took another step down the sloping sides. Checking her position, she noticed that she was about to hit the edge of the sloping surface. She slowed further, trying to feel her way down. The side of the building seemed manageable. Tentatively, she took another step, and another.

"Well… this isn't so b…"

Just as she was gaining confidence, her left foot slipped on a slick window ledge, wet with the ocean mist. Tifa let out a short scream as her weight was entrusted to her uncertain fingers. Her world lurched as she scrambled to grab hold of another ledge. Fingers weakened and unwillingly let go. She flailed her arms grabbing helplessly at the wall, which seemed to inch further and further away. Failing, she plummeted towards the ocean.

"Oof!"

Instead of the icy waters, she landed hard on the barrel of the cannon several meters below. Winded, she lay there for several minutes. As her vision refocused, she watched as Scarlet and several other soldiers began rappelling to where she lay. Adrenaline kicked in again as she forced herself to scramble to her feet. Looking around, she tried to find a way to escape. The only thing in sight was a large metal plate that read "Sister Ray". Tifa ran in the only direction available.

…

After returning to the inside of the fortress, Vincent ducked into the nearest empty room out of sight of the soldiers. He unceremoniously dumped the stuffy soldier uniform in a corner before exiting the room, retrieving his gear, and resuming his initial path. Vincent dashed through the halls, ignoring the now puzzled stared of occasional soldiers. His destination was the loading dock, where several Gelnika class cargo ships perched dormant. They needed the Highwind to escape this fortress, it was the only thing fast enough to escape pursuit. And they would need to get to Tifa in time.

He knew that the door wouldn't budge.

He knew that they would have to catch her.

And despite the knowledge, the risk was still too high to waste any more time. Any number of things could go wrong when Tifa was on the cannon. As he had learned by now, he had merely experiences one main course of history.

Deviations still occurred.

With that thought in mind, he leapt up a flight of stairs and continued towards the Highwind. Time was running out. He bolted onto the airport and ran towards the elevator lift. Trusting that the others had already taken care of everything, he did an all out sprint towards the Highwind. As he neared, he noticed that the propellers were already spinning, awaiting takeoff. Vincent mentally thanked Cid as he leapt aboard.

"_Be ready for takeoff. We won't have any time to waste."_ Vincent had told Cid prior to the start of their rescue mission.

With the memory of the ships interior in his mind, he easily made it to the control deck.

"Is everyone here?"

Glancing around, he marked each of the crew members and his companions. Cid waved.

"Everything alright?"

Vincent nodded.

"Let's go. We have to get to the side of the cannon."

Cid gave Vincent a questioning glance, but complied due to the urgency of the matter at hand.

"You heard the man! Lift off, now!"

The metal fortress lurched shakily into motion. It reached the end of the runway and into the air. Everyone aboard winced as the massive ship dropped a few feet before obtaining lift. The pilot struggled slightly to turn the ship and eventually began to make a loop around towards the tip of the cannon. Down below they could see several figures on the barrel of the cannon. The one in red, Scarlet, stood out the most. Two soldiers stood back, awaiting her orders. She seemed to be preoccupied in some kind of slapping match with Tifa which, of course, Tifa was winning by punching rather than slapping. Scarlet was knocked back, barely avoiding falling off the cannon. She was yelling something. The soldiers readied their weapons. Barret sprung into action.

"TIFA!"

He grabbed a rope tied to the outer deck of the Highwind and threw it down to her. At the same time, he fired several rounds, causing the soldiers to duck for cover. The ship couldn't get any closer for fear of blowing her off of the cannon. The team watched as Tifa turned and caught sight of the rope. She began running towards it. As if in slow motion, she leapt from the end of the cannon. Though Vincent had seen it once before, it didn't make it any less horrifying as the first section of rope slipped out of her hands. She flailed briefly before her hand touched the last several feet of rope. Her hand clamped down immediately, fear and adrenaline keeping her from being knocked off again as the ship rose out of reach of gunfire. The massive engines of the Highwind roared as the ship sailed off into the sky. Breathing a small sigh of relief, Vincent pulled Tifa up onto the outer deck. He was a bit shocked when she flung her arms around him in a tight squeeze. Barret cocked an eyebrow at this.

"Oh, that scared the hell out of me!" Tifa shouted.

While her voice seemed jovial, Vincent noticed that the rest of her body was still shaking in fear. He gently lowered her to the deck, where she remained, unable to stand. Her cheeks appeared a bit red as she tried to calm herself down.

"Are you injured?" Vincent asked, crouching next to her.

She shook her head, still gasping for air.

"Just a little sore," she responded after a small pause. "What's with the ship?"

Tifa stayed where she sat, looking at the gathered members. Cait Sith jumped up and down happily.

"It's a bit complicated, but the Highwind is now ours to use. Cid's old crew happened to be on maintenance duty so getting it wasn't too hard. Anyway, we can discuss the detailed inside, it's too noisy out here."

Cait Sith bounced off. Barret stared at Tifa, noting Vincent's continued presence nearby.

"Glad yer safe, Tifa. That was one hell of a thing they tried to pull there…"

He headed off. Yuffie remained on the outer deck. Tifa glanced over, making eye contact. Yuffie's eyes seemed almost dead as she forced a smile.

"I'm glad you're safe, Teef…"

With that, she resumed staring at the floor. Tifa cast a worried look at Vincent, who shook his head slightly.

"Let's talk inside, Tifa. Can you stand?"

On unsteady legs, Tifa slowly stood and followed Vincent inside the ship. They all met on the bridge of the airship. Tifa glanced around. Cloud was nowhere to be found. Tifa pieced together her memories with Yuffie's reaction and came to her own conclusions.

"So Cloud is gone now huh…?"

Cait Sith said nothing but seemed to droop a bit lower on his mog. Barret averted his eyes while Nanaki let out a low growl. Cid approached her.

"We're not sure, Tifa. I barely remember what happened in that cave. He might be dead for all we know."

Nanaki spoke softly.

"We need to carry on, with or without Cloud."

Before any more conversation could be said, Vincent interrupted.

"I believe he is still alive."

The others whirled to stare at him. Tifa gave him a look, wanting to know more.

"How can you be so sure?" Nanaki asked curiously.

Vincent paused, considering his response. He decided to be ambiguous and yet believable to the group.

"Part of Hojo's experiments… I can partially sense beings I've been in contact with for a long enough time, though the effects wear off eventually."

Nanaki tensed at Hojo's name and did not question further. The Barret and Cait Sith seemed to be satisfied by this response. Cid, on the other hand, frowned ever so slightly, digesting these words but saying nothing. Tifa spoke up in a tired voice.

"Guys… I'm exhausted. Can we discuss where we're going to search tomorrow?"

Cid nodded.

"Get some rest, Tifa. You'll need your energy if we're going to look for Cloud."

She nodded and headed out the door. After a moment, Vincent excused himself.

"I'll show her to a room. I doubt she knows her way around yet."

Cid, still with a neutral look on his face, nodded and waved him along. Outside, Vincent caught up to Tifa, who was standing at the end of the platform outside the bridge, looking around.

"I'll show you to your room."

She jumped at his voice. Whirling, Tifa turned to face him.

"Is he really alive?"

Vincent glanced back to make sure the door had closed before nodding.

"Let's talk elsewhere."

The two of them walked off towards the ship's sleeping quarters. Vincent led Tifa into one of the rooms. She sat down on the bed as he took a seat in a chair.

"Here," Vincent spoke while reaching into the confines of his cloak.

He pulled out a familiar notebook.  
"I grabbed that when we escaped from the Highwind at North Crater. Couldn't let it fall into the wrong hands."

Tifa nodded as she accepted the book. Vincent cleared his throat.  
"I have less certainty of the events to come. In my memories, I aided in one part of the coming mission, and therefore could only recall the other events from the others' accounts."

Tifa remained silent, allowing him to continue.

"We need to bring Cloud back. His presence was probably more vital to stopping Sephiroth than I had realized in my dream."

Again, she nodded, staring down at the notebook. She looked slightly anxious to read it. Vincent sighed slightly.

"You can read that later. You should rest, you might have inhaled some of that gas."

With that, he got up to leave. As he reached out for the door handle, Tifa finally spoke.

"Is Yuffie alright? She seems to have taken these events badly."

Vincent let his hand fall from the door. Without turning back, he spoke while facing the door.

"Yes, I believe she blames herself for Meteor."

Though he could not see it, Tifa's head lowered sadly as she gripped the notebook a bit tighter.

"Will… will she be alright?"

Vincent closed his eyes in a pained expression.

"I do not know."

…

A certain silver haired general paced the icy halls of North Crater. Eyes closed, he mentally felt for traces of JENOVA. Finding the one he wanted, he smiled bitterly.

"It appears that the Puppet has reemerged… though he may have been better off dead."

An invisible presence filled the space around him, wrapping ephemeral arms around him in a loving manner.

'_The boy will trouble us no longer. His mind is not in this reality any longer.'_

The general frowned, continuing his apparent conversation with the air.

"But the Monster has proven to be an interesting challenge, has he not?"

The presence shifted uneasily.

'_Yes. It is rather… unfortunate. I believe the Cetra may be involved, they always have their meddling fingers in everything.'_

The general gave a smirk. Chuckling, he walked deeper into the depths of the chasm.

"Then we'll just have to take care of these annoyances, won't we?"

…

Zetsumei: And there you have it. I wrote a chapter in less than a year! Less than half a year at that! This must be some kind of accomplishment!


	12. Breaking

Zetsumei: It's always nice to see people reading this. I'm trying to finish this one up since I have the ending mostly written and everything.

To Varna: Hm. Well I thought it would be quite obvious who Seph is talking too, but oh well, that can be easily rectified in this chapter.

Note: Since I messed around with dates a bit in this chapter, I decided to change the timeframe to be accurate, at least with the game timeline, in which the events of FFVII appear to be set during 2007. The only change this has on the story is a small date change in Chapter 3… maybe (Chapter 3 has been updated accordingly). Please let me know if you see any other stray dates that seem out of place.

**Final Fantasy VII – Remembrance**

Chapter 11 – Breaking

Morning rose on the Highwind to find many of the people aboard already awake. After Vincent's declaration the previous day, they were all anxious to move. Unbeknownst to Cid, the pilot had been directed to fly due south throughout the night and they were now nearing several large islands. Under Vincent's cryptic directions, the team ended in the town closest to Lifestream, Mideel.

"I am uncertain what happened in North Crater." Vincent had said. "But I do know that place sits right on top of a hole in the Planet directly leading to Lifestream. I believe that is where Cloud ended up. It would explain why I sense that he is in Mideel rather than say, Bone Village. There is a similar opening off the shores of Mideel. If Cloud were to surface after his fall into Lifestream, Mideel would be one of the most likely places he would be."

Following that speech, Vincent had promptly clammed up, refusing to say any more regarding their leader's health or safety. The ship touched down by the forest clearing leading to the village of Mideel and the team disembarked. It took some coaxing, but Tifa managed to convince Yuffie to come off as well. After a relatively uneventful journey through the thick shrubbery, they reached the village of Mideel. It was little more than a collection of buildings, but there was enough commerce through food, jungle tourism, and medical exports to sustain the small village. While Mideel was well known for these exports, the money only broke even by a small amount. Thus, the village had stayed this way for many years. Villagers and visitors walked around minding their own business as the team entered. Tifa was first to speak.

"He is… here?"

She turned a tentative gaze at Vincent. He gave the faintest of nods, but stayed silent. He had a strange feeling of unease that he couldn't shake off. Ever since he entered the town, something had felt ever so slightly off. For the first time since awakening, he consulted with his inner demons.

'**Do you feel that?'**

The most powerful demon, Chaos, rumbled slightly as it awakened.

'_Is it not simply the Hero? He reeks of the Lifestream.'_

Vincent considered this.

'**It has been a while. I can barely remember this town, everything was happening pretty fast after this village collapsed.'**

The demon shifted slightly and gave a deep sigh.

'_The Lifestream is messing with my senses. It's probably being transmitted to you. You might feel strange, but I feel downright ill. I don't think this feeling's anything for you to be concerned about. Now leave me alone.'_

With that the demon faded from his consciousness. Vincent blinked briefly, reorienting himself with the present location. Cid looked like he had taken charge since the taking of the Highwind. He now stood near one of the buildings, waiting for everyone to catch up.

"Let's look around then." Cid muttered, walking a few steps forward to speak with a man near the entrance who was fixing a sign.

There was a scruffy looking dog wandering around, its grey coat slightly dirty from the underbrush. A collar around its neck suggested that it belonged to one of the local families. As if sensing her emotions, it padded up to Yuffie, whining slightly. She stared down at the dog, barely noticing its presence. It suddenly barked, snapping her out of her reverie. Feeling guilty, she knelt down to scratch its head. It whined again and licked her hand. Nearby, Cid's conversation reached her ears.

"You must be talking about that pokey headed kid that washed ashore about a week ago."

Cid nodded quickly.

"Yeah, that's the one! You know where he is?"

The man suddenly looked really uncomfortable.

"Yes, of course, he's up at the clinic. But, sir, I warn you, it was tough for us to bring him there, and we didn't even know him. If you guys are really his friends… well, just have hope. Let us know if you need anything."

Cid frowned.

"Thanks…"

The man nodded slowly before turning back to his work. Cid turned back to see Yuffie staring at him. There was a faint light in her eyes that had been absent for well over a week. This bothered him greatly.

"Yuffie, wait, I think Cloud might be…"

But it was too late, she had already ran off down the street, stopping only to ask for directions to the clinic. Vincent watched as she ran off with a despondent look on his face. Tifa looked at him worriedly.

"Vincent…"

He shook his head slightly and made to follow her. Hands clenching and unclenching in worry, Tifa followed as well, shortly followed by the rest of the team. They entered the small medical facility to find a doctor and nurse standing anxiously by the door.

"Oh dear, are you the young man's companion as well?" The doctor asked as Vincent approached.

Tifa spoke up.

"We all are. Erm, how is he?"

The doctor suddenly looked incredibly tired. Rubbing his eyes wearily, he gestured for them to follow. He spoke slowly.

"The young man has what is known as Mako poisoning. It happens to those exposed to high amounts of Mako. We typically see soldiers from Shinra suffering from this condition. But…"

The doctor turned walked into the patient room, which was little more than a wood partition dividing the limited space. There, next to a kneeling Yuffie, was their leader. His blonde hair was a mess, even more than usual. His once vivid blue eyes were dull and unfocused. They wandered around the room, passing over the gathered members of AVALANCHE, but never truly seeing them. His skin was a sickly white, tinged with a muted green, as it he was slowly dying from the inside out. His breath came out in short gasps, the oxygen mask on his face the only thing forcing him to continue breathing enough oxygen. A thin line of drool trickled from his mouth as he moved it soundlessly. Every once in a while, he would make a soft moan or grunt, but nothing more. The doctor shook his head sadly.

"I've never seen such an advance case. Even I can do little but to wait and hope."

Tifa's hands flew to her mouth, tears filling her eyes.

"Cloud…"

Hearing Tifa's voice, Yuffie slowly turned to look at her friends. Vincent closed his eyes in a pained grimace when he saw her eyes. They had become completely devoid of life and emotion. She opened her mouth slightly to speak.

"Tifa? What's wrong with Cloud? He's… he's not responding to me… is he going to be okay?"

Tifa couldn't speak. Overcome with emotion, it was all she could do to keep herself from crying. Yuffie looked completely lost, like she had lost all reason to exist. Hearing no response, Yuffie simply turned back around, head lowered in defeat. Nanaki's head was bowed as well, unable to look upon the scene. Barret's eyes shut in anguish as he rubbed his gunarm in a slow and practiced motion. Cid stepped outside, cursing under his breath. And Cait Sith looked as lifeless as Yuffie, the man on the other side of the robot silent in remorse. Though he knew this was unavoidable, Vincent still felt guilt, that this was something that happened due to his own inability to act. The doctor shook his head sadly. He had expected this kind of reaction. Gently, he ushered the team out with the exception of Yuffie, who had not moved since she spoke.

"You must have hope." The doctor spoke softly to the team outside the clinic. "If you lose hope, then he will be truly lost."

The doctor went back inside. Barret glanced at the door of the clinic, judging the volume of his voice. Then, he spoke in a low voice.

"Do we even want him back?"

Tifa gasped at the notion.

"Barret!" She reprimanded.

He frowned at this.

"I'm serious. How do we know that kid's not another Sephiroth clone? Is he really yer childhood friend?"

Tifa stomped her foot in agitation.

"Of course he is!" She hissed, again mindful of Yuffie who was still inside.

Barret stared her straight in the eye.

"Can you say fer sure?"

Tifa faltered.

"I…"

Tifa turned to Vincent for help, but he remained as unreadable as ever. Cid, who was standing nearby smoking, put out his cigarette and stepped forward.

"Who cares? Our goal right now is to kill that Sephiroth bastard and stop Meteor from falling!"

Tifa stomped her foot.

"We can't just abandon him! Vincent, can you sense Jenova or something?"

Vincent frowned behind his cloak. Being put on the spot, he was forced into speaking.

"No, but he might know things about Sephiroth that we don't."

Tifa turned back on the team with a slightly triumphant look on her face.

"Then it's settled. We'll do what we can to stop Meteor and wait for Cloud to get better before we face Sephiroth."

Barret shook his head sadly.

"Tifa, that's time we don't have."

She slumped dejectedly, mumbling defiantly.

"I know that…"

Annoyed, Cid spoke again, trying to redirect the conversation.

"We need to focus on the now! There's gotta be something we can do!"

He whirled on Cait Sith.

"What's Shinra been up to since we escaped anyway? Any signs of them chasing us?"

Cait Sith perked up at his name. He slowly bounced up and down as he waited for a message from his controller. Finally, the cat's yellow eyes refocused on the team.

"I don't think they even care. Rufus seems to be heading in the same direction as us, destroy Meteor and get to Sephiroth… But…"

"How can we trust what the spy says anyway?" Barret muttered sullenly.

"They've been talking about ramming something called Huge Materia into Meteor… apparently they think that'll destroy Meteor."

Nanaki let out a low rumble as he considered this.

"I have heard of such a thing. They should be quite special, but I doubt they have the collective power to destroy something of such magical density as Meteor. Rather, we might be able to make use of their powers when we confront Sephiroth."

Barret nodded.

"So we jus' have to steal 'em from Shinra, right? Where are they anyway?"

Cait Sith processed this information for a while before answering.

"It seems like one of them has already been retrieved from the Nibelheim reactor. Heideggar seems to have sent troops to Fort Condor and Corel already."

Barret stiffened at his hometown's name.

"Dammit! How much more do they wanna ruin that town!"

He whirled on Cid.

"Come on! I'm goin' to Corel!"

He nodded.

"Let's split into two teams then. I'll drop you, Red, and Cait at Corel. Me, Tifa, and Vince will then head to Fort Condor."

Barret ran off out of town with Cid and the others in tow. Tifa and Vincent stayed behind for a bit longer. Tifa had gone back inside to check on the lonesome girl and the broken hero. She placed a hand gently on the girl's shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Stay strong, Yuffie. We'll be back soon."

The young girl gave the faintest of nods. Tifa turned to Vincent and spoke quietly.

"Let's go, the others are waiting."

Vincent nodded and followed her back to the ship, still unable to shake the uneasy feeling he had since entering the village.

…

Doctor Wastryn had received his M.D. back in 1982 at the age of 25 from Junon Medical Academy. With a solid research background in Materia research, he had quickly developed several methods of incorporating Magic into Medicine. These methods had garnered him worldwide fame and critical acclaim within the scientific community. Within ten years of completing his training, he had become one of the most notable doctors in the world, often sought after to teach his techniques to other professionals. Why the good doctor had eventually relocated to a small clinic in Mideel was anyone's guess. While he still took cases all over the world, he had seemed content in the small village.

But such are the realities of medicine. He was now beset with a case that he had no idea how to even begin treatment. The blonde haired young man had been exposed to so much Mako that, frankly, it was amazing the lad was still alive. Wastryn couldn't use conventional methods due to the high Mako concentration in the boy's blood. The Mako would break down any chemical compound before it could do anything in his body. Magic was completely out of the question. If he cast so much as a Cure on the kid, Wastryn could potentially kill him. It was these barriers that prevented him from making progress on this case. Frustrated, he scratched out another potential mechanism in his notebook. It was getting late and he had not made any progress in the last two hours. Heaving a heavy sigh, he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes tiredly. His assistant had already gone home. Most of the village had gone back to their homes for the night. There was little noise now save for the chirrup of insects outside. He decided to check on the young girl in the other room. He paused just beyond the makeshift doorway, hearing a soft voice mumbling away.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gone near that place. You gave me that Black Materia because you trusted me to keep it away from Sephiroth."

There was a bitter laugh.

"I guess you shouldn't trust a thief, huh, Cloud?"

The girl paused for a moment and gave a light sniffle.

"I miss you Cloud. I don't know what to do anymore. Everyone's falling apart. Meteor's coming because of me. How do we stop this anymore?"

Now quiet sobbing filled the small space as the young girl continued.

"I can't do this anymore. Not without you."

Wastryn stepped away, hearing enough. Pouring himself another cup of coffee, he returned to his desk in another attempt to define the mechanisms of how this illness was progressing. The frail looking girl eventually stopped talking, having exhausted herself into a fitful sleep.

…

A day later and Meteor had slowly drawn closer to the Planet. Cid's team, along with various volunteers and mercenaries, had managed to repel a late afternoon attack at Fort Condor from the monsters and soldiers from Shinra, netting them the first Huge Materia. And while it was a close call, the second team lead by Barret managed to stop a runaway train from obliterating what was left of the once flourishing town of Corel. This act of duty on Barret's part had mended bonds to some degree and came with an unexpected bonus: the Ultima materia. They had returned to check on Cloud while Cait Sith continued to listen for information from Shinra. Once again, the Highwind arrived outside of the jungle surrounding Mideel.

The last few hours had not been comfortable for Vincent. Even after leaving Mideel, he unease persisted, gradually pushing into the realm of discomfort and dull pain. Chaos had not spoken since Mideel, the demon seemed to be writing uncomfortably in the confines of his mind, so much that even the other demons were unusually silent. This kept him more preoccupied than normal as he tried to fend off the feeling. Though Vincent had seemed fine at Fort Condor, Tifa was starting to notice his abnormal lack of attention. Often she had to call his name several times before he responded. And while he responded as he normally would, the conversations felt more curt. The ship touched down with a soft bump.

"I'm going ahead." Vincent muttered as he disembarked.

Tifa barely caught it. She turned to call him back, but he had already vanished.

'What's going on…?'

She ducked into her room and flipped through Vincent's old journal.

_ Once we returned to Mideel, the WEAPON known as Ultimate WEAPON attacked. Cid, Nanaki, and I barely managed to fend it off. However, the battle combined with the weight of the WEAPON was enough to weaken the crust, causing a massive sinkhole to open up. While much of the town was swallowed by Lifestream, we managed to evacuate the villagers due to how long it took for the town to sink. However, during this time, Tifa and Cloud fell into the Lifestream. While I have little knowledge of what happened in the five minutes they were submerged, they reemerged and seemed unharmed. Cloud appeared to have regained his consciousness and had a newfound confidence as he lead us once again. I can only speculate that Tifa had something to do with it._

Tifa paused. If she was originally with Cloud, what would happen now that it was Yuffie with him? Would there be the same outcome with completely different people? If this event wasn't likely to help Cloud, wouldn't the two of them be in danger?

'Vincent must have ran off to help them!'

With that thought, Tifa ran to the loading bay of the Highwind and jumped down into the grassy plain. Without a moment's hesitation, she tore off towards Mideel, ignoring Cid's calls as to where she was going.

…

Vincent's world reeled and he staggered into a nearby tree to regain his balance. He struggled to breath, spasms causing his chest muscles to seize.

'**Chaos! What the hell was that?'**

There was a groan from the demon, but nothing more. It was getting harder and harder to move as the demon's suffering leaking into Vincent's own mind. Panting, he tried to force himself to move.

"Trouble?"

A voice sounded behind him, cold and piercing. Vincent whirled and froze. This was not supposed to happen. Five meters away, one of Sephiroth's clones stood. Complete with General's garb and Masamune, the clone regarded him with a thin smile. Vincent tensed, hand poised to draw his gun. The clone paid no heed to this.

"It seems you know more than I had originally thought. Mother says you're still cheating in our little game here. It's not fair you know?"

Vincent's heart rate rose. He struggled to keep a composed face. She knew. If she knew, she could fight back. If she knew, the future might change completely. They might not even make it to Sephiroth at this point. He gave a carefully controlled response.

"What do you mean?"

However, the clone continued on, ignoring Vincent's mental turmoil.

"To think that the Cetra would go to this extent… their petty meddling knows no bounds. I hope you're not also a Puppet. A Puppet is a Puppet regardless of what side, you know?"

This statement fell on deaf ears. Vincent's vision was blurring from Chaos's pain. This was not the time to pass out. If he did, Sephiroth would have his way with how the oncoming events played out. He drew his Winchester rifle, ashamed at how much the sight was shaking in his grip. The clone chuckled lightly.

"You don't look so good. Is this a bad time? Would you like to play a mini-game in the mean time?"

There was no reply from the trembling gunslinger. The clone sighed.

"For a cheater, you're no fun. You don't even deserve this handicap."

A weight was lifted. Vincent fell to his knees, gasping for air. The clone gave him no reprieve.

"I wonder. You left two broken people alone in this savage wilderness. It would be a shame if something were to happen to them."

The gunslinger struggled to his feet, trying to find his balance.

"The clock's ticking, Cheater."

The clone disappeared into the trees as Vincent bolted for the village. Scenarios raced through his head. The team, losing two people, but still approaching Sephiroth, thoroughly crushed within moments of entering the Planet's core. The team, annihilated as Sephiroth descended on the hapless village leaving the Planet to fend for itself against an opponent it couldn't defeat. His own failures, exacerbated by his actions, leading to a fate much worse than the one he had envisioned. Meteor would crash into the Planet, the shockwaves alone would cause massive flooding and earthquakes all the way to Wutai. Every living existence apart from Sephiroth and JENOVA would perish. The Planet would be an empty lifeless rock, hurtling through space. He needed Cloud and Yuffie alive. If he had to die to see this happen, then so be it. The village came into sight as he thought this last declaration.

"Mr. Valentine! What…" Dr. Wastryn was out buying supplies and only caught a glimpse of the gunslinger as he hurtled past.

Up the small slope, towards the small clinic, Vincent tuned out the remaining discomforts of Chaos as he forced himself to go faster. He burst into the clinic and into the small patient's room.

They were safe.

Yuffie lay quietly asleep, head resting on Cloud's knee. Cloud was still disoriented, barely noticing the cloaked man as he barged in.

"Congratulations. You beat me here."

The lazy drawl drifted from the doorway to the clinic. Vincent turned to stare at the sneering man whose bright green eyes glinted in the dim lighting of the clinic. The gunslinger reached for his weapon and, for the second time in just over a week, felt the steel blade of the Masamune enter his chest. In his agony, one thought came from Chaos.

'_Too close.'_

Vincent acted. Forcibly ignoring the pain, he slid into the hilt of the blade, shoving Sephiroth backwards out of the clinic and into the jungle. Caught off guard, the General was unable to find a solid footing and allowed himself to be tackled into the depths of wilderness. After about thirty meters, the General snarled and threw Vincent off, removing his blade at the same time. Vincent cried out in pain, clutching the now freely bleeding wound in his chest. Breathing was slowly getting more difficult. Nevertheless, Vincent drew his weapon in one smooth motion and fired several times. It was a fruitless attempt.

"Hah! Without the Cetra, you're nothing!"

The seven-foot long sword batted the bullets out of the air with ease. Sephiroth flashed forward and, with one clean sweep of his blade, shattered the brittle metal rifle. A flurry of strokes and Vincent was on the ground, now bleeding heavily from multiple cuts.

"So boring. But I suppose that's why you cheat. Because you can't play the game properly."

In a roar of fury, a heavily injured Vincent leapt up, lashing out with his prosthetic. The metal claws tore through the clone's flawless features. Sephiroth let out a cry of pain as the Masamune whipped through the air. Vincent felt something break and, seconds later, realized that his arm had been shattered. The General's boot came up, kicking Vincent into a nearby tree where he fell and remained grounded. Sephiroth's clone frowned as he realized his wounds were no longer healing. Blood dripped freely down the three raw gashes across his face. One of his eyes had apparently been lacerated as well, rendering it useless.

"Looks like this body's usefulness is coming to an end."

The clone stepped forward to deliver the final blow. Then, the ground shook suddenly, throwing him off balance. A fearsome roar sounded from the direction of the village. Sephiroth regained his balance as the ground shook again, more violently this time. He smirked at the bleeding man on the jungle floor.

"Looks like our time is up. I wonder if the Cetra have anything to do with it."

Another roar, closer now, followed by the rumbling thud of something heavy landing nearby. In a daze, Vincent could hear sounds of combat. He turned his head ever so slightly and barely made out the massive body of Ultimate WEAPON through the foliage. The clone sighed.

"Let's call this a warning then. Stop meddling. Those Cetra aren't as good as you might think, you know." Sephiroth smirked. "Just let Fate run its course. Cheating is reserved for the Gods."

Vincent coughed, spitting out blood onto the dusty jungle floor. The clone stared into the trees watching the battle. The ground was beginning to shake badly now.

"They're really going overboard aren't they."

Vincent could do nothing. His healing didn't seem to be working. When he tried to transform, he found only an eerie silence in the confines of his mind. His breathing was harsh, he had to pant now to take in enough oxygen. His fingers felt cold, like some dark tendrils were slowly inching closer towards his heart. For the first time in a long time, he felt almost human. A dying human, incapacitated in his final moments. The clone turned and grinned. The smile stretched awkwardly, pulling at the damaged flesh of his face.

"But I just thought of something fun for us to do!"

Another roar and this time, there was a dull explosion that shook even the sturdy palm trees lining the jungle around Mideel. The hulking form of the WEAPON rose and lumbered off into the distance. And then something gave. The ground began to crumble as Lifestream oozed out from between the cracks. The General walked up to the injured man and hoisted him up onto his shoulders. Vincent struggled feebly against the clone. He made his way back into the village.

"Enjoy your trip!"

The clone spoke cheerfully as he tightened his grip on Vincent's torso. Vincent had one brief glance of a shattered village and a sea of green before he was dragged down into the murky depths. There was a raucous screeching noise as fluid filled his ears and mouth, infiltrating his lungs. Then, there was silence.

…

A faint noise had roused Yuffie from her uncomfortable rest. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she looked around but found no one. The clinic was as empty as it was when she had fallen asleep. She missed the small splotches of blood dotting the doorway to the small room. The tired girl was about to go back to sleep when a loud roar shattered the sleepy silence in the small clinic. She toppled from her position by Cloud's wheelchair. Leaping up, Yuffie rushed to the door of the clinic and looked outside. Hovering several hundred meters above the small village was a jet black beast. She had seen something similar just two days ago, but this one seemed much bigger. A single word echoed through her mind.

_ WEAPON._

And it was charging at the village. Towards the line of trees, she saw several figures running. It was Tifa followed by the others. The WEAPON seemed furious as it let out a blast of energy from its mouth, clearing out a line of trees uncomfortably close to the village. Tifa caught Yuffie's eye as they ran even closer.

"Yuffie! Get inside! It's dangerous out here!"

With that, Tifa tore off out the other side of town. Yuffie, still staring after Tifa, was suddenly grabbed by Cid who was catching up.

"Look out!"

He gave her a mighty shove, sending her into the clinic as he dived to the right. Another blast tore through the makeshift streets, carving a trench outside the clinic. Yuffie blinked stars out of her eyes as the WEAPON landed with a heavy rumble just outside the village where the team unleashed a full attack on the armored beast. It thrashed about and fought back. The ground shook violently with every energy blast that hit the jungle floor. Within the small building, Yuffie paced, thinking.

"We gotta move… we're too close." She mumbled to herself as she undid the brakes on Cloud's wheelchair.

The blonde man, looked up at her, giving her a questioning glance. Yuffie put on a brave face and smiled.

"Don't worry Cloud. They can handle it. We gotta get you to a safer location."

With that, she pushed her small frame against the deadweight of the wheelchair. It slowly gained momentum and she steered the chair out the clinic door. The petite ninja carefully avoided the trench outside the clinic. As she rolled slowly down the uneven road, a stray blast seared through the trees and through a nearby house. With a cry, Yuffie was thrown sideways by the shockwave of the resulting explosion. In the chaos, she lost her grip on the wheelchair and it bounced down the road. Ignoring her bleeding knees and palms, Yuffie raced after the wheelchair. To her horror, it trundled into the village square, hit a rock in the road, and crashed. The occupant seemed to writhe in pain, but otherwise showed no other discernible reaction. She tried to help him back into the chair, but it was impossible. The man was simply too heavy to move into position. Tears forming in her eyes, she hoisted the massive swordsman onto her frail shoulders.

"Come on Cloud. We're almost there. We just gotta get to the trees."

Another explosion behind her, followed by an even louder roar. There was a flurry of wind and Yuffie paused to look behind her. The small clinic had been reduced to a smoldering wreck. The monster had taken to the air and was being fired upon by the Highwind. It gave a roar of pain and faltered in the air, falling to the ground with an earth-shaking boom. It fired up at the Highwind in annoyance, forcing it to take emergency measures to dodge. Taking this opportunity, the WEAPON took to the skies once more and, before anything else could be done, it soared off into the distance. Yuffie breathed a sigh of relief. Closing her eyes, she sank to the ground due to a combination of exhaustion and Cloud's weight. There was a strange silence now that the WEAPON had left.

"YUFFIE GET OUT OF THERE!"

Yuffie's eyes snapped open. Near the burning clinic, Tifa was running back towards the village. The ground around her seemed to be crumbling even as she ran. As she watched, Barret tackled her to the floor as a section of the road was engulfed in a bright green liquid. Tifa shook him off and tried to enter the village square, but the ground was sinking fast and she could no longer cross without touching the Lifestream. Tifa was shouting her name as the others watched in horror as the ground she was on slowly sank into the viscous liquid. She clutched her disoriented leader closer to her as the liquid crept closer. Within seconds, it had begun sucking the two of them under as well. Her last thoughts were that of the man in her arms.

…

Tifa fell to her knees as the young ninja and her childhood friend disappeared into a sea of green. Everything was going wrong. She had hoped to draw the WEAPON away from the town, but found that it ignored all of her feeble attacks. It wasn't until she had punctured a hole in one of its wings did it finally give chase. But before she could get any further, the beast had maneuvered itself to cut her off, placing them only several meters outside of the town.

Outside the former town.

"Yuffie… Cloud…"

Nearby, the citizens of Mideel were busy making sure everyone was safe. Dr. Wastryn stood across the pool of Lifestream with a pained expression on his face. The others simply stared at the location where two of their members had been not moments ago. Tifa tore her gaze away, unable to look any more. Had Vincent been trying to stop this event due to its uncertainty? More importantly, where was the mysterious man? As she thought this, the midday sun caught on a piece of metal in the dense underbrush. Tifa walked over and picked it up. It was a shattered Winchester rifle. Her eyes took in every detail of the scrap metal before glancing up and scanning the impenetrable jungle. The man's name fell from her lips as she stood in fear and confusion.

"Vincent…?"

…

Zetsumei: And that concludes another chapter. It's a bit longer than normal and I feel like it was a bit rushed. Let me know what you thought about it. The next chapter might take much longer as I want to completely rewrite the memories bit that follows the plunge into Lifestream. Review and wait!


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